Bronze cover of Dalí's book stolen from museum in Issoire

06.10.2026 07:02 HotInfo

From a private museum in the town of Issoire in central France, a bronze book cover created by Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí was stolen. The theft took place overnight on Monday at the Centre for Contemporary Art in the Auvergne region. idnes.cz ↗

The bronze cover weighs approximately 150 kilograms. It protected the book *L'Apocalypse de Saint-Jean*, which was regarded as an exceptional work and, in the past, even as the most expensive book in the world. According to available data, the entire book weighs approximately 210 kilograms. irozhlas.cz ↗

The work was published by Joseph Foret between 1958 and 1961. Fourteen artists and writers collaborated on its creation. At the time it was made, the book was valued at two million French francs. Its current value has not been immediately estimated. El Pais ↗

French judicial authorities confirmed the theft. The prosecutor's office in Clermont-Ferrand has opened an investigation. Neither the police nor the prosecutor's office have yet disclosed details about the perpetrators, the method of removal, or whether there are any witnesses. Le Figaro ↗

The bronze cover was one of the most striking components of the book, which combines literary, artistic and craft elements. Investigators will now try to determine how the perpetrators managed to carry such a heavy object out of a private museum and where they took it.

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