Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Paintings by Cezanne, Degas, Monet and Van Gogh, valued at more than $163 million, were stolen from a Zurich museum, the second art theft in Switzerland in less than a week.

Three armed robbers, wearing ski masks, took the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings from the E.G. Buehrle Collection in Zurich's Eighth District in an afternoon raid yesterday, 30 minutes before it closed, police said in a statement today. They described the heist as ``spectacular.''

Monet's ``Poppies Near Vetheuil,'' Degas's ``Count Lepic and his Daughters,'' Van Gogh's ``Blossoming Chestnut Branches'' and Cezanne's ``Boy in the Red Vest,'' are the four paintings stolen, police said. A reward of 100,000 Swiss francs is being offered for information leading to the recovery of the paintings.

One of the men threatened personnel with a pistol, forcing them to the floor, while the other two robbers grabbed the four paintings from the exhibition hall. One of the robbers spoke German with a Slavic accent, the police said.

Two Pablo Picasso oil paintings belonging to the Sprengel Museum in Germany were stolen on Feb. 6 from a cultural exhibit in eastern Switzerland, police said. The thieves involved are still at large. Police officials told Agence France-Presse the Picasso works had a total value of almost $4.5 million.

To contact the reporter on this story: Marc Wolfensberger in Bern at mwolfens@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 11, 2008 08:44 EST