A professional thief has stolen five paintings by the British artist Francis Bacon worth an estimated 30 million euros. The artworks were reported stolen from a Madrid home today. The thieves, disabled the alarm system and the home was surveyed to make sure no one was to return to the premises. The works belonging to a close friend of Bacon were a mix of portraits and landscapes. They were stolen last summer and it is not clear as to why news of the theft was not made public until now.
Art specialist said the paintings would be extremely difficult to sell. “It is not at all easy to sell a Francis Bacon, large or small without that getting to the ears of those who pore over such a rarified sector,” said the expert, speaking on condition of anonymity. El Pais newspaper said police from a specialist arts and antiques unit had opened an investigation into the heist.
“Three Studies of Lucien Freud” a triptych by Bacon realised $142,405,000 at auction, a world record for the artist. Art market analysts place Bacon as one of 10 most valuable modern artists alongside Picasso and Warhol these works comprise 18 percent of global art market sales.
Police have refused to comment on the report and provided no explanation as to why information about the theft had only just emerged
the thieves left no forensic traces in the flat.