ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) — Two Impressionist paintings stolen in one of Europe's largest art thefts have been recovered in an abandoned car, police said Tuesday.

The pictures by Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet were among four paintings worth $163 million that were stolen from a private museum in a Feb. 10 armed robbery.

New York Times (ENLARGE)

Three armed men in ski masks stole four paintings by Cezanne, Degas, van Gogh and Monet worth $163.2 million from a Zurich museum in one of Europe's largest ever art heists, police said Monday. The stolen paintings clockwise from upper left: Paul Cezanne painting 'Boy in the Red Waistcoat; ' Edgar Degas painting 'Ludovic Lepic and his Daughter; ' Claude Monet's painting 'Poppy field at Vetheuil' and Vincent van Gogh's painting 'Blooming Chestnut Branches.'

The two other paintings taken from the E.G. Buehrle Collection — one by Edgar Degas and the other by Paul Cezanne — remain missing, Philipp Hotzenkoecherle, commandant of the Zurich city police, told reporters.

The two recovered paintings — Monet's "Poppy field at Vetheuil" and van Gogh's "Blooming Chestnut Branches" — were discovered in a parking lot in front of a Zurich mental hospital on Monday. It was unknown how long the white sedan in which the painting were found had been parked there, Hotzenkoecherle said.

The paintings were in good condition and still under the glass behind which they were displayed in the museum, he said. They were identified by museum director Lukas Gloor after a thorough inspection.