£35m Picassos stolen from grand-daughter

A portrait of his daughter, Maya with Doll, and one of his second wife, Jacqueline, were taken in the early hours of Tuesday morning, said Paris police.

There were no signs of entry at Diana Widmaier-Picasso's upmarket home on the Left Bank and detectives do not know how the thieves evaded its massive security system.

'We are investigating every possibility, but this appears to have been a highly sophisticated job,' said a spokesman for the city's serious crimes squad.

Picasso, who died in France in 1973 aged 91, had four children by three women, and a number of grandchildren including Mrs Widmaier-Picasso.

The picture of Jacqueline, painted in 1962, is almost 5ft square, while the Maya painting, completed in 1938, is around 2ft by 1ft.

Anne Baldassari, director of the Picasso museum in Paris, said yesterday: 'This very large theft is of huge concern to the art world.'

Art insurance expert Charles Dupplin said: 'It will be impossible to sell these iconic works on the open market.'

He said they could go to America but there has been recent evidence of stealing to order for European clients.

The Art Loss Register lists 444 missing pieces by the Spanish painter including lithographs, drawings and ceramics.

'The number is so high simply because Picasso was so prolific,' said a Register spokesman.