5 paintings by Francis Bacon stolen in Madrid

MADRID. Five paintings by British artist Francis Bacon (Francis Bacon), totaling 30 million euros (23. 2 million pounds), were stolen from a collector’s house in Madrid. The Spanish media reported on this, reports France-Presse in Madrid.

Sources close to the investigation told El Pais on Sunday that the robbery had been carefully prepared: the owner of the house was absent that evening, and the criminals managed to turn off the alarm system. The thieves did not leave any traces, and, apparently, were well aware of the life of the owner of the house.

“Three Studies by Lucian Freud” at a pre-auction show at Christie’s in London, at which this triptych was sold for almost 90 million pounds. Photo: Dominic Lipinski / PA

According to the source of El Pais, the paintings - portraits and landscapes - were stolen in July last year, but the news about this was published only now. The list of stolen was not disclosed, which, according to experts in contemporary art, is at least strange - it would be impossible to sell stolen paintings on the legal market.

“It’s not at all easy to sell Francis Bacon’s picture, large or small, without the information about the transaction reaching the interested parties,” the expert says, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Theft is under investigation. The newspaper reports that the owner of the paintings was a close friend of Bacon, but a police spokesman, whom France-Presse correspondents managed to reach, could not confirm the facts presented in the newspaper.

Francis Bacon, an artist of Irish descent, died in Madrid in 1992, at the age of 82, and his surrealistic emotional works are still in great demand. Bacon’s death only increased their popularity: the portrait of Lucian Freud in 2013 was sold for 142.4 million US dollars (90 million pounds) at an auction, which became a world record for that time. Today, Bacon is among the ten most famous contemporary artists along with Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.

Anna Sidorova © Gallerix.ru