Authorities Recover 100-Year-Old Dalí Drawings Stolen in Barcelona Art Heist

Catalan authorities have recovered a cache of graphic works by Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró that were stolen last year in Barcelona. 

Police have detained three brothers, aged 50, 53 and 55, who allegedly targeted homes in Barcelona’s high-end neighboorhoods that held fine art and luxury goods. The robbery ring has been under investigation since January 2022 as part of operation ‘Gresca,’ and, on Friday, police announced that a trove of stolen jewelry and banknotes and art, including two 100-year-old illustrations by Dalí, were seized from the suspect’s hideout.

The Dalí charcoal drawings, pastoral scenes on brown paper and valued around $300,000, were authenticated by the Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation, which manages the Surrealist’s legacy. The two works date to 1922 and were created on the request of the writer Pere Coromine for his book Les Gràcies de l’Empordà (The Empordà’s Graces in Catalan).

Two other suspects were arrested on charges of receiving the stolen goods and have been released along with the three brothers were released on bail ahead of the trial, per a report in Reuters in Friday.

Five works attributed to Miro were recovered and are currently awaiting authentication by the artist’s estate. Two pieces by the painter Paco Sola were also found on the scene, along with precious antiques, such as silver and golden pens, as well as coins and jewels.