Jean Arp Sculpture Stolen From Art Cologne Booth

A bronze sculpture by Jean Arp, priced at €145,000 (US$160,800), was stolen from a gallery stand at Art Cologne, the art fair in Cologne, Germany, on the last day of the event. The theft happened on Sunday, November 8, and the work's owner, Gallery Ludorff, has filed a criminal complaint with police, who are investigating.

The sculpture is called S'élevant (Rising). It was made in 1962 and stands just under 30 centimetres tall, roughly the length of a standard ruler. It is gold-coloured bronze, cast in metal rather than carved from stone or wood.

Gallery Ludorff displayed the work at booth C-121, the numbered stand it had rented inside the fair. The piece sat on a plinth, the raised base used to show sculpture, and was not bolted down. The gallery believes it was taken between 4:55 p.m. and 5:10 p.m. on Sunday, the closing day of the fair, which ran from November 4 to 8.

Maya Hanke, who handles public relations and art fair management for the gallery, did not hold back. "The fair's security measures were seriously lacking," she said. She told ArtNews that not every visitor or bag was checked at the entrances and exits. As far as the gallery knew, no security staff were stationed in busy areas or close to exhibition stands.

Art Cologne has responded. Judith Leyendecker, speaking for the fair, said organisers are in contact with Gallery Ludorff and are supporting the authorities in their investigation.

The gallery says the sculpture is insured. It also points to the work's unique numbering, which it says means the piece "is not marketable." Police have not, in the reports so far, said who they suspect or whether anyone has been arrested.

For the gallery, the loss is a single work it had brought to a major fair to show buyers and visitors. For anyone who has walked a fair's crowded aisles, the case is a reminder of how easily a small object can leave a stand when it is not fixed in place.

The gallery's complaint and the fair's review of its security are now the two threads to watch. Any update from police or the organisers will show how the sculpture was taken and whether it can be traced.