TWENTY paintings worth up to $500,000 have been lost in transit on the way to ARTSingapore, a major contemporary art fair opening tomorrow.

The paintings by Italian artist Luigi Rincicotti, packed into a 50kg box, were being transported by delivery service company TNT Express from Bangkok to Singapore.

Ms Delia Kang, who owns the Bangkok-based gallery that is bringing in the show, says the paintings were to arrive in Singapore three weeks ago.