Huge bronze book cover by Salvador Dalí stolen in latest French museum theft
The 150-kilogramme cover, embellished with gold, precious stones and pearls, was burgled from the C. Karoutzos Contemporary Art Centre in central France on Sunday night
A priceless bronze book cover, crafted by renowned surrealist Salvador Dalí, has been taken from a museum in France. The cover, which adorned a copy of the Book of Revelation, was stolen from the C. Karoutzos Contemporary Art Centre in Issoire, Auvergne region, during the night of October 4th. Museum owner Christian Karoutzos detected the theft upon discovering a large gate of the building was broken.
French prosecutors have initiated an investigation into the incident. Karoutzos lamented the loss, saying, "They assassinated France last night, they assassinated French heritage," according to The Telegraph. Weighing 150 kilograms, the cover was embellished with gold, precious stones, pearls, and seashells. It was created between 1958 and 1961, following a commission from art publisher Joseph Forêt.
The volume, which includes text from St. John the Apostle dating back to 97 AD on the Greek island of Patmos, was valued at two million French francs (approximately €305,000) at the time of its creation. The heist follows a series of museum thefts across Europe, including the theft of two Pierre-Auguste Renoir paintings from the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer and the theft of four works by Antonello da Messina from the Museo Regionale di Messina.
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