A portrait by the figurative, Irish-born artist Francis Bacon has been recovered by the Spanish police in Madrid. Stolen from the home of banker José Capelo, along with four other paintings and a safe full of jewels and valuable coins, the work had been missing since 2015.
16 people have been arrested in connection to the crime since the start of the investigation, including those who organized it. Three of the five works, collectively worth $27 million, were tracked down by police in 2017, and previous arrests subsequently led to the restitution of Capelo’s $5.4 million portrait by Bacon.
When the stolen painting was found, police stated, “Investigations are continuing to locate the remaining work and arrest those in possession of it, with the focus on Spanish nationals with links to organized groups from Eastern Europe.” Time will tell when what has been called “the biggest art heist in Spanish history” will finally come to an end.
