1.   He made two calls to contacts who sold to a private collector in New York.

2.   Most of the top works went to private collectors faces both old and new.

3.   The buyer was not identified, but is thought to be a private collector.

4.   The painting was bought by a private collector.

5.   The painting was sold to a private collector.

6.   The speed and precision of the theft makes it likely that the paintings were stolen under orders from a private collector.

7.   Some of the paintings were loaned out to the museum by private collectors.

8.   The painting was purchased by a private collector.

9.   The original birds are believed to be escapees from captivity, probably from a private collector who omitted to clip their feathers to prevent them flying away.