Stolen Aboriginal art found

Seven historic Aboriginal paintings were found in bushland in the northern Australian city of Darwin, several hours after they were stolen from a Northern Territory art gallery, police said yesterday.

The seven paintings included six works from the Papunya Tula, or Western Desert Art Movement of central Australia, which popularised the indigenous art movement in the 1970s with their dot paintings of traditional stories.

"The paintings... were located in bushland near the Darwin Bowls and Social Club," police said, adding one man had been taken into custody for questioning over the theft.