Chagall paintings disappear in theft

The paintings, which came from Chagall's personal collection, were purchased directly from his estate, Yarger said.

However, a third Chagall painting that was hanging between the two -- this one showing a Parisian scene with flowers -- was left untouched, as were even more valuable paintings by Picasso, Renoir and Miro in the same room.

"All signs point to a theft-to-order," the gallery owner said. "It wasn't just a random burglary."

The break-in was discovered May 29 by construction workers on an adjoining project. Upon noticing that someone had sawed a hole through the gallery's rear fire door, the contractors notified police.

By climbing through the hole, the thief apparently circumvented an alarm system, inside motion detectors and surveillance cameras.

"One burglar, or burglars, came in, went upstairs, came right to this location, took the paintings and disturbed nothing else," said Yarger.

He waited almost a week before making the theft public to give police and insurance investigators a clear track without interference from the media.

But now, the gallery owner and police are circulating photos of the two paintings in the hope that they will be recognized as stolen if the thief tries to sell them to an auction house, gallery or museum.

It is more likely, however, that the paintings will be kept behind closed doors for decades or generations, Yarger believes.