Lalique Museum: 11-minute heist steals jewellery worth €4.5 million
The Lalique Museum in Alsace was burgled on 5 July. Unknown individuals made off with 27 crystal pieces worth €4.5 million in just 11 minutes.
Lalique Museum: 11-minute heist steals jewellery worth €4.5 million
The Lalique Museum, dedicated to artist René Lalique and located in the Alsace region in north-east France, was targeted in a burglary on Sunday, 5 July. Unidentified individuals managed to seize 27 crystal objects estimated at €4.5 million.
The theft took place around 5.30 p.m. Surveillance cameras recorded the entire operation, which lasted only 11 minutes. An hour later, a cleaner entered the premises, discovered the incident and alerted the competent authorities, according to statements from Christian Dorsner, president of the institution, reported by the local newspaper "Les dernières nouvelles d'Alsace".
The latter expressed his exasperation, indicating that the alarms had sounded but the security company had not responded immediately nor alerted staff. The museum announced on its website that it would remain closed for several days.
The Lalique house was founded by French jeweller René Lalique (1860-1940), one of the major figures of the Art Nouveau movement. He designed jewellery, vases, perfume bottles and other objects inspired by feminine forms, using innovative materials such as horn, coloured glass or semi-precious stones. The museum, opened in 2011 in tribute to the great creator, is located in the village of Wingen-sur-Moder, where the artist had opened his workshop in 1921.
Since 2008, the Lalique brand has been owned by the Lalique SA group, a Swiss company specialising in luxury goods.
This burglary comes just eight months after the spectacular theft of Crown jewels from the Louvre castle. A parliamentary commission had then denounced grave shortcomings in security across France's 2,000 museums, pressing the Culture Ministry to take emergency measures. The report published on 13 May by the commission established after the Louvre theft sounds the alarm over the insecurity of collections and proposes 40 recommendations, ranging from increased budgets to the reorganisation of museum management.
According to information from in.gr, the commission examined approximately 100 testimonies and covered nearly 2,000 French museums. A special chapter of the report is dedicated to the Louvre, with a critical assessment of the management of former director Laurence des Cars. Parliamentarians consider that she had prioritised contemporary art events, fashion shows and room renovations at the expense of the fundamental protection of collections.
*With information from The Art Newspaper
Source: In.gr