The massive work featuring a bronze cover designed by the renowned Spanish artist is the latest target in a string of high-profile thefts<\/p>\n
A multimillion-euro artwork featuring a massive bronze cover designed by Salvador Dali has been stolen from a museum in central France. It is the latest in a string of high-profile thefts targeting the country\u2019s cultural institutions. \u00a0
\nThieves took the artwork from the Centre of Contemporary Art in Issoire overnight to Monday. Prosecutors described it as an \u201cexceptional and unique\u201d work of \u201cgreat value\u201d and opened a criminal investigation. \u00a0
\nThe stolen work is Joseph Foret\u2019s \u2018Livre de l\u2019Apocalypse\u2019 (The Book of the Apocalypse), a monumental 210kg volume produced between 1958 and 1961 with contributions from prominent figures in 20th-century art and literature, including Dali, Jean Cocteau, Bernard Buffet, and Jean Giono. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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Another French museum robbed despite \u2018special attention\u2019 after Louvre heist<\/p>\n
Its roughly 150kg bronze casing, designed by Dali, is decorated with gold, precious stones, and seashells. The one-of-a-kind book has been described as among the world\u2019s heaviest and most expensive, with its value estimated at several million euros. \u00a0
\nThe Issoire theft is the latest in a string of high-profile robberies to hit French museums. In September, thieves broke into the Renoir Museum in Cagnes-sur-Mer in southeastern France and grabbed four paintings from the walls. Two were abandoned in the museum garden as the thieves fled, while two remain missing. The four were initially valued at \u20ac9 million ($10.1 million), with the missing pair later valued at \u20ac4.2 million. \u00a0
\nIn July, three masked thieves raided the Lalique Museum in northeastern France, escaping with 27 valuable pieces worth \u20ac4.5 million in just 11 minutes. Despite the museum receiving \u201cspecial attention\u201d after the Louvre robbery, its security company reportedly failed to alert gendarmes when the alarms went off, leaving a cleaner to call police. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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Police discover hideout for $100 million Louvre jewel heist \u2013 Le Parisien<\/p>\n
The wave of robberies follows a spectacular Louvre heist in October 2025, when thieves stole eight pieces of the French Crown Jewels worth around \u20ac88 million in broad daylight. Hours later, nearly 2,000 prized coins were reportedly stolen from the Denis Diderot House of Enlightenment in northeastern France. A month earlier, thieves had broken into the National Museum of Natural History in Paris and made off with 6 kg of rare gold nuggets, with the loss later estimated at around \u20ac1.5 million. \u00a0
\nThe string of thefts triggered a national scandal over museum security. A parliamentary inquiry released in May found widespread shortcomings, pointing to aging infrastructure, staff shortages and inadequate surveillance. Only 23% of French museums had an emergency and risk-prevention plan in 2024, while just 54% had video surveillance, according to the report. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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Masked thieves snatch million-dollar paintings from Italian museum<\/p>\n
Following the Louvre robbery, the Lalique Museum was designated a \u201csensitive site\u201d and placed under \u201cspecial attention.\u201d Yet a source close to the investigation said the additional protection was \u201cnot sufficient.\u201d The government unveiled a new 33-point museum-security plan in July, but did not specify how the measures would be funded. \u00a0
\nFrance has also cut heritage spending while ramping up military expenditures. The country\u2019s 2026 heritage budget was reduced by \u20ac106 million, or 8%, while the Louvre lost \u20ac5 million in funding. By contrast, the defense budget rose by \u20ac6.7 billion to \u20ac68.4 billion as the government accelerates what it calls France\u2019s \u201crearmament.\u201d
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