The £1m Sir Stanley Spencer taken by 'opportunist' thief in the artist's home village
- Appeal is launched to recover distinctive oil on canvas work
The £1m Sir Stanley Spencer taken by 'opportunist' thief in the artist's home village
- Appeal is launched to recover distinctive oil on canvas work
A burglar who got away with a £1 million landscape by one of Britain’s most important – and eccentric – 20th Century artists may not have known how valuable it is.
Now an appeal has gone out to recover Sir Stanley Spencer’s distinctive oil on canvas work entitled Cookham From Englefield.
The break-in was at the Stanley Spencer Gallery in the artist’s home village of Cookham, Berkshire
The painting’s co-owner, graphic designer Sue Elsden, said last night: ‘It’s like losing a member of the family and we desperately want it back. I don’t think that it was stolen to order, but more likely was an opportunist theft.
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The painting’s co-owner, graphic designer Sue Elsden, said last night: ‘It’s like losing a member of the family and we desperately want it back. I don’t think that it was stolen to order, but more likely was an opportunist theft.
‘After breaking through the window the thief tried to steal the first painting he came across but failed.
‘The next one just happened to be Cookham From Englefield and he managed to remove it from the gilt frame. It’s possible he did not know the significance of what he was taking.’ Experts say lanscapes by Spencer could sell for up to £1 Million at Auction.
The 30 in by 20 in work stolen early last Sunday has been exhibited constantly since it was completed in 1948..
The 30 in by 20 in work stolen early last Sunday has been exhibited constantly since it was completed in 1948.
Art historian Professor Keith Bell said: ‘It would be hard for the thief to sell unless he had a buyer in mind.’
Spencer, who died in 1959 aged 68, wore pyjamas under his suit and pushed around a pram in which he carried his canvas and easel.
1 comment:
Stanley Spencer reward offer of £10,000 is false and anyone trying to collect it will be arrested. Also, the value of the stolen Stanley Spencer painting is between £500,000 and £1 million so a reward of £10,000, even though it is false, is only 1% of the value. Anyone saying they represent the victim in the Stanley Spencer painting theft or the insurance company is in reality an Undercover Police Officer so be warned.
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