OSLO, Norway (AP) – Police on Tuesday were holding eight people on suspicion of theft after recovering three stolen works of art by Norwegian master Edvard Munch, including a unique watercolor entitled “Blue Dress,” officials said.

The artworks, valued at some $257,000, were found less than 24 hours after thieves pried them loose Sunday night from the walls of a restaurant at the upscale Hotel Refnes, near the southern town of Moss, police said.

Officers received a tip that people were seen carrying paintings into an Oslo house. Their motive had not immediately been determined, and the condition of the works had not been assessed.

Munch’s tortured tableaus have proven to be a draw for Norway’s art thieves. In August, priceless Munch masterpieces “The Scream” and “Madonna” were stolen from a museum with guards. They have yet to be recovered.

Since such stolen art is difficult to sell, the thefts have led to speculation that criminals commit the crimes to gain status in their own circles.

Jan Pedersen, of the Moss district police, said nine people between the ages of 17 and 30 were arrested in Oslo, but that one woman was released shortly afterward. Their names were withheld.

“The eight are being held on charges of grand theft and assault,” Pedersen said. He said police would seek a court order today to hold all or some of the suspects pending an investigation, possible indictment and trial.

At least two thieves used a crowbar to break into the Refsnes Hotel restaurant shortly after it closed Sunday, and tore the artworks from the wall. They were spotted by a hotel employee.

“The assault charge is because they used some kind of gas to spray the hotel worker who found them. She was not injured,” Pedersen said.

The 1915 watercolor “Blue Dress” — the most valuable of the three pieces — is worth as much as $160,857, Munch expert and auctioneer Knut Forsberg said.

The other two are lithographs, including a self-portrait and a portrait of Swedish artist August Strindberg.

Munch developed an emotionally charged painting style that helped launch the 20th Century Expressionist movement. He died in 1944 at the age of 80, having produced some 1,700 paintings and 30,000 prints.

Hotel owner Widar Salbuvik said by telephone that he didn’t know what condition the artworks were in.

“I’ll be talking to the police in hopes of seeing them today,” Salbuvik said, adding that he plans to hang the pictures again as soon as possible, despite the risk.

The August theft of “The Scream” and “Madonna” from the Munch Museum raised concerns about security in the art world, as three armed robbers grabbed the valuable pieces in broad daylight. Police dismissed any immediate claims that the two recent thefts were linked.

In 1994, another version of “The Scream” was stolen from the National Gallery in Oslo and recovered a few months later in a sting operation.

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