A thief strolled out of a Paris gallery with the £500,000 bronze statue ‘Maternity’ (pictured) under his arm, it emerged today
A thief strolled out of a Paris gallery in daylight with a 22-inch bronze statue worth almost £500,000 under his arm, it emerged today.
The theft of ‘Maternity’ – one of Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s best-known works – is the latest in a long string of audacious heists in the French capital.
It comes despite the authorities regularly pledging to improve security at the numerous galleries across the city.
At first none of the security guards on duty in the Bartoux, which is on the Champs Elysee and close to the Elysee Palace and British Embassy, noticed Saturday’s theft.
It was only when video film was examined that they saw the thief scouting the room in which the piece was displayed.
‘He walked around a few times, looked around, and then helped himself to the Botero,’ said a source close to the case. ‘He then calmly made his way out of the building.’
‘Everything is being done to find him,’ said the source, who added that the thief would have ‘huge difficulty’ in selling the piece, which would fetch around £500,000 on the black market for contemporary art.
The Botero is just 22.4 inches (57cms ) high, and weighs 15kilos, or just over two stone, but would still have been hard to conceal.
It depicts a mother and baby, and was produced to huge acclaim by Botero in 2003, as party of a series comprising eight Maternity bronzes.
The theft of ‘Maternity’ – one of Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s (pictured) best-known works – is the latest in a long string of audacious heists in the French capital
As in the majority of galleries in the world, there are no metal detectors or searches of any kind at the exits of the Bartoux.
When the Paris judicial police were informed they said that there had been similar thefts across the city during the weekend, with a gang apparently acting at will.
Fernando Botero, 85, originally trained as a bullfighter before becoming Colombia’s most famous living artist.
He now lives permanently in Paris, and frequently travels to the UK, where his works include the five-tonne polished bronze nude ‘Venus’ outside Liverpool Street Station.
At first none of the security guards on duty in the Bartoux (pictured), which is on the Champs Elysee and close to the Elysee Palace and British Embassy, noticed Saturday’s theft
In January three art thieves were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for stealing five masterpieces worth almost £100million from the Paris Museum of Modern Art, which is close to the Bartoux.
The burglary in May 2010 saw works by Picasso and Matisse disappearing, and led to the Paris authorities calling for increased security.
Legendary Paris art heists have included the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911, when modernist enemies of traditional art including Picasso himself became suspects.