French authorities have announced the theft of a rare and valuable art book with a bronze cover designed by Spanish painter Salvador Dalí from a contemporary art centre in Issoire, central France, in the latest incident in a series of thefts targeting museums and cultural institutions across the country. The Clermont-Ferrand public prosecutor’s office said the stolen work was The Book of the Apocalypse, describing it as “highly valuable”.
Dalí cover and a record of cultural institution thefts
The book has a bronze cover designed by Dalí, one of the leading artists of the 20th-century Surrealist movement. Its theft follows a series of break-ins at French cultural institutions in recent months, including the theft of jewellery from the Louvre and antiquities from other museums.
Previous incidents also included the theft of the golden Vix krater in July 2024. The incidents have revived debate over the ability of French museums to protect their valuable collections, particularly smaller institutions, as the government moves to strengthen security and surveillance systems at cultural sites.
Issoire mayor describes loss of book
Issoire mayor Bertrand Barou said the book belonged to someone who “owns a small private contemporary art museum containing other, less valuable works”. Barou described the loss of the work as “priceless” and “the product of a lifetime’s work” for its owner. The mayor added that he had spoken to the owner, who was distressed and upset, and quoted him as saying that “part of France’s heritage has been stolen”.
The criminal details of the incident remain unclear, including whether the theft was carried out by breaking into the building. Dalí, who lived from 1904 to 1989, is one of the leading figures of Surrealism.
His iconic paintings drew their imagery from dreams and the unconscious, most famously The Persistence of Memory, with its melting clocks. The Spanish Catalan artist’s work extended beyond painting to sculpture, film, design and illustrated art books, including the bronze cover of the stolen book.
