It was an artful bust.

A wealthy businessman had hundreds of thousands of dollars in French paintings stolen by a Manhattan storage-site worker — but helped police catch the thief after later spotting one of the pricey works at an art gallery, authorities said yesterday.

“I said, ‘That looks like my painting.’ I was like, ‘Oh, OK. This guy is selling them all over the place,’ ” said the victim, who spoke to The Post on condition of anonymity.

Suspected thief Carlos Ortiz had been part of a crew of movers from Yorkville Van & Storage, contracted to put the victim’s artwork in storage in July 2007 while the man’s Fort Lee, NJ, home underwent renovation, law-enforcement sources said.

Ortiz allegedly wound up swiping scores of artworks and selling them.

Authorities became aware of the theft only after the renovations were finished in April 2011.