Art Theft at the Salon
Even before its official opening, the Salon du Collectionneur got off to a rather inauspicious start for one Paris antiquaire. On Wednesday, two ancient Chinese bronze statuettes, with an estimated value of 500,000€, were stolen from the stand of Christian Deydier, whose gallery, specializing in Asian art, is located on rue du Seine.
The theft occurred during setup of the stand on Wednesday, two days before the official opening. Little is known about the circumstances of the crime, but it appears that the thief (or thieves) acted within a two-hour time frame.
During last night’s pre-opening activities, a guard had been installed at the stand. One can expect heightened security during the course of the Salon.
The Brigade de repression de banditisme is in charge of the investigation. There has been no comment so far from M. Deydier. I’ll keep you posted as information becomes available.
The Salon opened to the public today and will continue through 20 September.
Jan del Monte, blogging from the rue du Cherche-Midi, Paris, France
© 2009 Jan del Monte
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