Dalí bronze cover stolen in Auvergne, valued at several million
The 150-kilogramme bronze cover of the book The Apocalypse of Saint John, sculpted by Salvador Dalí, disappeared from the art centre in Issoire during the night of 4 to 5 October. The public prosecutor's office in Clermont-Ferrand has opened an investigation.
Bronze cover stolen from Dalí's masterpiece
According to Le Figaro, the bronze cover of The Apocalypse of Saint John, sculpted by Salvador Dalí, was stolen during the night of Sunday 4 to Monday 5 October from the contemporary art centre in Issoire, in the Puy-de-Dôme department. The piece weighs approximately 150 kilogrammes and is valued at several million euros.
The work, commissioned in the late 1950s by Auvergnat art publisher Joseph Forêt, is among the heaviest and most expensive ever created. The owner of the centre, Christian Karoutzos, discovered the theft upon arriving on Monday late morning. A large gate of the building, situated on the outskirts of Issoire, had been forced open.
The cover, adorned with gold and precious stones, was displayed alone at the centre and was to remain there until the end of October. The pages of the book were being kept separately. The public prosecutor's office in Clermont-Ferrand described the stolen object as a "work of art of great value" and a "unique and exceptional piece". The search section was assigned to the investigation.
Source: Le Figaro