GERMAN COP RETRIEVES €280,000 YVES TANGUY PAINTING THROWN IN TRASH BIN

A painting by French surrealist Yves Tanguy was nearly destroyed after a businessman misplaced it at Düsseldorf Airport. "This was definitely one of our happiest stories this year," a police spokesman said. The painting by French artist is worth €280,000.

German police managed to save the surrealist painting from certain destruction after they found the missing artwork at the bottom of a recycling bin. A businessman accidentally left the painting at a check-in counter at Düsseldorf Airport at the end of November, police said in a statement on Thursday, Deutsche Welle reported.

The painting by French surrealist Yves Tanguy, estimated to be worth €280,000 ($340,000), was packaged in a flat cardboard box. The police statement did not include the title of the painting. The unidentified man boarded a plane bound for Tel Aviv when he realized he'd forgotten the painting. Yves Tanguy, who lived from 1900 to 1955, was known for his abstract, surrealist landscapes. His contemporaries included the likes of Salvador Dali, Joan Miro and Man Ray.

Upon landing in Israel, he attempted to contact police in the western German city of Düsseldorf — sending several emails about the 40 x 60 centimeter (16 x 24 inch) painting. Despite diligent searching, the painting was nowhere to be found but Germa Inspector Michael Dietz recovered the painting from the trash after thoroughly searching the airport's paper waste containers. A breakthrough in the case came after the man's nephew traveled from Belgium to report the painting missing at a police precinct located near the airport. The case landed on the desk of inspector Michael Dietz, who then reached out to the airport's cleaning company. Together with the airport's property manager, they thoroughly searched through recycling containers for paper. "Sure enough, the valuable painting was right at the bottom," police said in a statement.