Sunday, December 12, 2010

A major art theft in Madrid that shook the art world

Art thieves drove off in a van filled with works by Pablo Picasso and renowned sculptors Fernando Botero and Eduardo Chillida after breaking into a warehouse near Madrid. The thieves took 22 sculptures and paintings worth an estimated €5m from the warehouse in Getafe at the weekend. They drove off using a key left in the van's glove department.

According to David Fernández of Madrid’s Juan Gris gallery, only about half of the works, which were being returned to Spain from a German gallery, were insured. He was quoted as saying: "I have been furious and upset about this. A day had already been decided for some of the works to be delivered to his gallery and five others in Barcelona and Madrid. Nothing like this has ever happened to us in 40 years."

According to a news report from the renowned UK publication, The Guardian, the van carrying the works had been parked at that point of time inside a warehouse after just having arrived from the Stefan Röpke gallery in Germany. The structure (warehouse) belonged to the Crisóstomo transport company. Three thieves broke into it at midday. The news report elaborated:
“Police suspect that they knew the keys to the truck would be easily found, as they had driven away by the time a patrol car got to the scene. Part of the robbery was recorded by security cameras. The empty van was discovered on Tuesday. At least a dozen of the works were by the Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida. Other works were by the Spanish artists Antonio Saura, Antoní Tapies and Julio González.”
The German gallery had closed a month-long exhibit dedicated to Chillida in the third week of November. It included figurative drawings, sculptures, a range of drawings and etchings and some rare collages. The works were possessed by the six galleries, but it was unclear as which of those had been insured. "Even at a bad time like this some galleries are not insuring their works, which is mad. It never happens until it actually happens," said Fernández.

There’s a lesson to be learnt for Indian galleries…

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