Serbian police have uncovered a painting believed to be by French impressionist Paul Cezanne, which was stolen from a private Swiss museum in 2008 in one of the biggest art thefts in Europe at the time.

SWISS police said yesterday they had found two stolen paintings — one Monet and a van Gogh — of the four that were stolen last week from a gallery in Zurich.

Police refused to comment today on reports that four stolen paintings worth around €119m had been found in the car park of a Swiss mental hospital 500 yards from where they were taken.