title: Anselm Kiefer's Lead Sculpture Stolen and Severely Damaged
A regrettable incident has left renowned German artist Anselm Kiefer, who resides in France, reeling. His magnificent lead sculpture has been damaged beyond repair and portions of it have been taken from a storage facility placed near Paris.
The extent of the damage has been estimated at over one million euros by none other than the 78-year-old artist himself, as reported by French media sources from the Meaux public prosecutor's office. Kiefer's fame has spread worldwide due to his awe-inspiring, monumental, and materially rich paintings and sculptures. Recently, as per the Art Compass ranking, he secured a prestigious eighth place.
Video footage reveals four individuals
The burglary took place on a Thursday night at Kiefer's warehouse located in Croissy-Beaubourg, according to the Meaux public prosecutor's office. The thieves targeted a site heavily fortified with a robust wire mesh fence, as per AFP news agency's sources.
Surveillance footage shows four individuals seemingly scaling the parking lot's fence, entering the facility, cutting open the steel fence surrounding the sculpture, and making off with the lead ropes used for its construction. After approximately 20 minutes, the security team managed to drive the perpetrators away.
Not an unusual occurrence
Unfortunately, such instances of break-ins and thefts are not uncommon at Kiefer's studios. In 2016, another incident at the same warehouse led to damage and the theft of around twelve tons of marble and ten tons of lead, resulting in losses worth approximately 1.5 million euros. A happier event occurred in 2019, which fortunately resulted only in an attempted break-in. It is suspected that the thieves targeted the sculptures not for their artistic value, but rather for the value of their constituting materials.
Kiefer has recently been a subject of great interest in Wim Wenders' film "Anselm - The Rush of Time." The Berlin premiere of the film took place at the beginning of October, and it explores Kiefer's life without any formal interviews, focusing instead on his creations such as golden landscapes and sculptures made from monumental cornfields and books molded from lead.
Stay tuned for more news and updates regarding Anselm Kiefer and other renowned artists.
