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April 5 (UPI) -- French police say they're trying to find four works of art that were stolen off the walls of the National Assembly in Paris. The assembly president confirmed a report in a French newspaper that the artworks were taken after "hanging on office walls" in the lower house of parliament.
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A yearly government inventory acknowledged they were missing.
The missing works include a sculpture by Greek artist Takis -- which belongs to France's National Contemporary Art Fund -- and paintings by French modern artists Hervé Télémaque and Richard Texier. An engraving by an unknown artist is the other missing piece.
Assembly President Francois de Rugy started legal action last week and called in the Banditry Brigade of the French police, the agency responsible for investigation of art theft and other crimes.
The first mention of the missing artwork was reported earlier this week by French satirical newspaper Le Canard.
About 430,000 works of art, regarded as part of France's national heritage, are on display in public buildings in France and in the country's embassies and consulates worldwide. The embassy in Conakry, Guinea, recently reported five missing pieces. A small bed has also been reported missing from the Palace at Versailles, near Paris.
A 2016 report said nearly 30,000 objects in the collection of French culture are missing.
