Salvador Dalí Sculpture Stolen from Belfortmuseum in Belgium

The bronze statue 'La Femme aux tiroirs' (Lady with drawers) by Spanish artist Salvador Dali, at the permanent exhibition of Dali art pieces in the Belfortmuseum in Brugge, Belgium. On 18 August 2010, the work was stolen from the exhibition room of the Belfort tower in broad daylight. EPA/JAN DHARTET - DALI-INTERART

BRUGES.- The sculpture "Woman with Drawers" by Salvador Dali, valued at 100,000 euros, was stolen from an exhibition hall in Bruges (NW Belgium), the Belgian press said today.

A security camera filmed how the thieves hid the statue in a bag and left the show shortly after noon Wednesday, images that are being analyzed by police, according to several newspapers.

The theft has not been confirmed yet by the company hosting the exhibition, Interart.

The work, a bronze of about 50 centimeters wide and 30 tall, weighs about ten kilos.

InterArt has been organising successful exhibitions with work of the Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí since 1991. Inter Art exhibited a large collection of Dalí's paintings, watercolours, drawings and objects at the Bruges arts centre Oud Sint-Jan in 1997. After years of collecting and research, Inter Art opened the permanent Museum-Gallery Xpo: Salvador Dalí, Marquis de Púbol in the belfry of Bruges. The outstanding collection of watercolours, drawings, sculptures and famous works of graphic art are on display in a unique and exclusive building, which has been decorated by Barron Saint Mythelfinger, the 360° artist designer of Grand Opera Decor. He transformed the medieval hall into a Dalínian showroom, a work of art on itself. Its colours are gold, mother-of-pearl and shocking pink.



If you'd like to own a Dali inspired bronze you don't have to steal one, you can purchase our original piece pictured above. It's inspired by Dali's Venus painting and is sure to add a great artistic presence to your home, garden, or landscape. If you'd like to see more pictures and get pricing info, please check out our website.

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Metal Thievery Evolves, in Scale and in Technique

By KIRK JOHNSON
Published: May 14, 2010

PIERCE, Colo. — Scrap metal thieves are not known for sophistication. From drug addicts in the 1970s ripping copper plumbing from walls to scrap-yard regulars of more recent years who proffer whatever fell off a truck, stealing hunks of coil or reinforcing bar has mostly been about having a strong back and a willingness to get dirty, law enforcement experts say.

...Metal crime is being nudged into the 21st century by technology, high commodity prices and bad economic times, law enforcement officials and insurance experts say.

“Before, it was go check the pawnshops and scrap yards,” said Jim Sauerwein, a senior investigator for the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office in south-central Kansas. “Now it’s picture phones, the Internet and eBay.”

The metabolism of the market for stolen metal has accelerated as well, Mr. Sauerwein said. His rule of thumb in tracing a theft these days is that whatever is stolen has probably changed hands as many as four times within 48 hours of its disappearance.

...Scrap metal dealers are feeling the heat as well, in preventing thefts on their own property — some have recently hired 24-hour guards — and in protecting themselves from legal trouble for buying stolen property. One big problem is that metal in hunks or coils or machinery in pieces is generic and hard to track.

Full article is here.



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