The painting, a 1949 piece titled “Cartel de Don Juan Tenirio,” was lifted June 20th, when a brazen thief snatched the work of art right off a wall of the Venus Over Manhattan art gallery, dropped it into a shopping bag and calmly strolled unnoticed out the building’s front door.

Though the thief’s image was captured by surveillance cameras as he exited the gallery, police had no leads on his whereabouts as of Friday (June 29), NBC reports.

Inspection service spokeswoman Donna Harris told The New York Post the gallery received an email earlier this week that said the painting had been sent back. A tracking number was included.

“Cartel on its way back to you already,” the email read.

On Friday, the NYPD said that the painting was found in a box at Kennedy Airport, addressed to the gallery and bore a phony return address from Europe.

The Venus Over Manhattan art gallery then confirmed the authenticity of the Dali painting, adding that it was returned in remarkable condition.

While it remains unknown why the art thief sent the $150,000 Salvador Dali painting back to the gallery, experts speculate that the publicity surrounding the theft had complicated efforts to sell the piece on the black market.

Video footage showing images of the art thief can be viewed below. Individuals with information on the man’s identity are asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

Salvador Dali Painting Returned: Stolen Dali Piece Mailed back to NYC is a post from: The Inquisitr

According to a report by the NY Post, the man, described as slightly balding and wearing a black and white checkered shirt, posed as a customer at the Venus Over Manhattan art gallery, on Madison Avenue, before he removed the Dali painting from the wall, put it into a bag and fled.

Police say the heist occurred at about 4pm on Wednesday.

“We’re cooperating fully with the police and have no further comment,” said Adam Lindemann, a famed art dealer and owner of the Venus Over Manhattan gallery.

The NY Daily reports that prior to the incident, the thief told a security guard who was keeping an eye on him, “I want to take a picture of this painting,” motioning to the Dali.

As soon as the guard stepped away — distracted by another visitor — the crook tossed the artwork into a bag and left.

A series of still images captured by a surveillance camera show the crook exiting the darkened, third-floor gallery carrying a heavyweight paper shopping bag, sources said.

The stolen painting, a 1949 piece titled “Cartel des Don Juan Tenorio,” was part of the gallery’s inaugural exhibition.

Here is a shot of Dali’s Cartel des Don Juan Tenorio:

Anyone with information about the missing painting is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.

ABC News has more on the stolen Salvador Dali painting in the video clip below:

Salvador Dali Painting Worth $150K Stolen From NYC Gallery [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr