330-pound Salvador Dalí artwork stolen in French heist, ‘France was murdered last night’

Sometime during the night between October 4 and October 5, a 330-pound artwork by Salvador Dalí was stolen in a heist in Issoire, France. The work was the bronze cover of the book Livre de l’Apocalypse, which was housed at the C. Karoutzos Contemporary Art Center. The book is one of the most expensive (and heaviest) ever made, with an appraised value of 2 million francs at the time of its creation.

So far, the investigation into the theft is still ongoing. Authorities have not yet released any information they might have about the thieves’ identities to the public.

The history behind Livre de l’Apocalypse

14 writers and artists collaborated on the book, which they designed between 1958 and 1961. Joseph Forêt, a French publisher, recruited them to create an illustrated interpretation of part of the Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament. The book allegedly took over 2,000 hours to complete.

Some of the leading writers and artists who worked on the book included not only Dalí, but also Jean Cocteau, Ossip Zadkine, Jean Giono, and Léonard Foujita. The writers and artists who worked on the piece contributed 150 pages the size of scrolls of biblical scenes and text. As for the cover, Dalí reportedly used a now-lost technique to create it. The cover features not only gems but also a prominent crucifix, seashells, and pearls.

The book’s value today is estimated at roughly USD$4.5 million, though many consider it priceless given its historical and cultural value.

The heist seemed well-planned

This is just the latest in a string of museum heists that have occurred in France (and Europe, in general) in recent months. Whoever took the bronze cover adorned with precious gems seems to have planned the heist well. The museum’s owner, Christian  Karoutzos, told RMC, a French outlet, “They disconnected the cameras, the alarms… Everything was disconnected. It’s a mystery[…]No visible signs of forced entry.”

However, the thieves did leave some visible signs of their presence behind (other than the missing cover), as Karoutzos discovered the plexiglass display case protecting the book had been smashed to pieces. As he allegedly described it, “They arrived like vandals. They smashed everything.”

Authorities are perplexed as to how those who stole the cover managed to pull off such a seamless theft of an object that weighs so much. Some observers wondered just what kind of thief would have interest in something with such an immense weight.

The museum manager fears that those who stole the book cover are going to melt it down to retrieve the precious stones and sell them. Karoutzos, who was purportedly furious over the theft, said about the possibility, “I am appalled. It’s unbearable, unimaginable.”

Karoutzos, in an interview with the French radio station ICI Pays d’Auvergne, also purportedly stated about the theft, “France was murdered last night. French heritage was murdered.”

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