Dali artwork worth $520,000 stolen from Stockholm gallery in smash-and-grab heist

Sculptures and etchings by the surrealist artist Salvador Dali have been stolen from an art gallery in Stockholm, Sweden, in what police say was a brazen smash-and-grab heist.

Exhibition halls of the Couleur Art Gallery in Ostermalm were emptied on Thursday night, with a pair of unknown perpetrators smashing the windows and dragging Dali’s artwork away.  

Located in the capital’s upmarket district, the gallery had around 10 etchings and sculptures by the Spanish artist on display, all loaned from Switzerland. “They were worth 200,000 to 500,000 kronor [$21,000 to $52,000],” gallery owner Peder Enstrom told local media, describing the loss as “terrible.”

Police have studied CCTV footage, leading them to believe that the robbers took their haul away in a vehicle. 

Dali’s works frequently capture the attention of art thieves around the world. Last October, a man stole a $20,000 Dali etching from a San Francisco gallery in just 30 seconds. The heist – carried out during the day – was captured on numerous surveillance cameras, but the perpetrator managed to walk away.

“They just popped into the gallery, probably distracting one of my coworkers,” said Angela Kellett, the gallery director for Dennis Rae Fine Art. “They just ran off with it, too quick for anyone to do anything about it.”

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