Spain, police recover three Francis Bacon works stolen in 2015

Major operation by Spanish police recovering three paintings by Francis Bacon (Dublin, 1909 - 1992) of the five that had been stolen in 2015 from the Madrid home of collector José Capelo, a 59-year-old friend of the Irish artist, from whom he had inherited some works. According to El País, which cites sources close to the collector, the theft was made possible because the alarm with which Capelo had equipped his home turned out to be “a fiasco.” Ten people had already ended up in handcuffs for the theft: the last three, arrested in January, are probably the ones who materially carried out the crime.

Spanish police said that the recovery of the works was made possible in part by the help of a team of British specialists, a private company that specializes in recovering stolen or missing works of art. A police source also told the País that “the gang has been caught and the detainees are involved in the theft even if they do not recognize it. We are also very confident of locating the other two stolen paintings.” The five stolen works are estimated to be worth more than 25 million euros.

Image: two of the recovered paintings.

Spain, police recover three Francis Bacon works stolen in 2015

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