French authorities have confirmed a theft at the Contemporary Art Center in Issoire. According to Le Figaro, thieves stole the cover of the Book of the Apocalypse, created by Salvador Dalí and described by the Clermont-Ferrand prosecutor's office as an "extraordinary" and "very valuable" work. The incident is said to have occurred on the night between Sunday and Monday morning.
The work was part of a publishing project conceived in 1958 by publisher Joseph Foret and inspired by “The Apocalypse of Saint John.” Some of the most important artists and writers of the 20th century collaborated on this volume, including Jean Cocteau, Bernard Buffet, and Jean Giono.
Dali created a monumental bronze cover decorated with gold, precious stones and shells. It alone weighed approximately 150 kilograms, compared to the 210 kilograms of the entire volume, considered the most expensive and heaviest book in the world at the time.
After being exhibited in nearly 150 international exhibitions between the 1960s and 1970s, the work disappeared for a while, then was stored in Switzerland and later purchased by Japanese collectors. In 2003, it was purchased by Christian Karoutzos, an entrepreneur and art restorer from Issoire, who decided to display it in his private museum.
The mayor of Issoire, Bertrand Barraud, described the loss as "priceless", stressing the owner's deep shock at the disappearance of what he considers an authentic French cultural heritage. The investigation into the theft has been entrusted to the Clermont-Ferrand gendarmerie detective brigade. ©LAPSI.al
