A painting, which was stolen during a museum heist in Glasgow over three decades ago, has been found after it was put up for auction. In 1989, thieves broke into the Haggs Castle Museum of Childhood and stole Robert Gemmell Hutchinson's Children Wading from 1918. The artwork, which was painted at Carnoustie in Angus, depicts two young girls paddling along a water’s edge on a summer’s day. The painting, which has been missing since 1989, was found after being listed on the Art Loss Register, according to BBC 4’s Front Row. The ALR is a private database of stolen art and collectables used by museums, auction houses and the police. Children Wading was owned by an unsuspecting family, who put it up for auction when selling some of their late father’s estate. "This painting was registered on our database in 2014 when Glasgow Museums were going through their records, looking for pieces so we could track them down, ALR's director of recoveries," said James Ratcliffe, ALR's director of recoveries. Tennants Auctioneers, upon realizing it was marked as stolen, withdrew it from sale and the family opted to have it returned. "We’re delighted to have a work returned, even though the theft was a very long time ago. The pain of it still persists and there’s a loss to the public in Glasgow," said museum director Duncan Dornan.
