Damien Hirst spot prints worth £33,000 have been stolen from a Notting Hill art gallery. The theft took place sometime in the early hours on Monday when a single thief broke through the front door of the Exhibitionist Gallery, in Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill gate west London.
The theft is thought to have taken place sometime between 2.20 and 3:00 am and it was reported that the police are interested in a dark coloured hatchback which sped off towards Ladbroke Grove.
It is thought that the Spot prints had been specifically targeted as other valuables in the gallery were untouched. The stolen works, titled Pyronin Y Pyronin Y is the larger of the two measuring 40in (1m) by 46in (1.2m). It was produced in 2005 and is worth £15,000.and Oleoylsarcosine created in 2008 and valued at £18,000. Its dimensions are 26in (67cm) x 35in (89cm).
Both graphics are typical of Hirst’s multi-coloured dot images which were the subject of a worldwide exhibition in all eleven galleries owned by Larry Gagosian in 2012.
Nathan Engelbreght the Gallery Manager said his “heart sank” when he received a phone call from the police informing him of the break-in. He added: “We opened in September and it was a bit of a coup to get the Hirst artworks. We had them for four days and then they were stolen. “We wanted Hirst to be in the Christmas show and to help raise our profile and to show people we can get the big names in, so it’s a big hit and here’s hoping insurance will cover it, if it doesn’t it will probably take us under.
Any information contact Metropolitan Police Notting Hill station 99-101 Ladbroke Rd, London W11 3PL