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Cover of one of world's most valuable books stolen from French arts centre
150kg cover created by Salvador Dalí taken but book remains safe
The 150kg bronze cover of a book dubbed one of the world’s most expensive and heaviest has been stolen from an art centre in central France.
The burglary happened overnight between Sunday and Monday (October 4 - 5) at the Centre d'Art Contemporain in Issoire (Puy-de-Dôme), where the book was being exhibited.
One of the main gates to the arts centre had been damaged.
The cover forms part of ‘L'Apocalypse de Saint Jean,’ a book commissioned by French art publisher Joseph Foret.
The book, of which only a single copy exists, was conceived as an illustrated and annotated version of the Book of Revelation and it was created between 1958 to 1961 on sheepskin parchment.
The text is illustrated with works from famous 20th-Century artists including Salvador Dalí, Georges Mathieu, Bernard Buffet, and Leonor Fini.
The book also includes notes and musings on the text from famous authors and cultural figures of the time including Jean Cocteau, Jean Rostand, Emil Cioran, Jean Giono, and Ernst Jünger.
The book itself comes alongside a 150kg bronze cover made by Dalí, encrusted with gems and precious stones and other artistic flourishes typical of the Spanish artist, and it was this cover that was stolen.
Its value is estimated at several million euros by its owner, in part due to the cover that also includes golden forks and seashells.
With a total weight of around 210kg, it is also reportedly one of the heaviest books in the world.
While it was touted to be the most expensive and heaviest book in the world at the time of its creation, these records have since been surpassed, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
The book itself, including the writings and illustrations, was kept elsewhere in the art centre and is safe.
Indeed, the cover never officially enclosed the book but always remained separate, a meta-commentary on the text that keeps its pages intentionally loose.
It follows a string of high-profile burglaries of French museums, including a heist of the Louvre museum in 2025 and an Alpes-Maritimes museum hosting several original Renoir paintings in September 2026.
Aims for artwork to be recognised
Gendarmes in the department have been tasked with investigating the theft, and it so far remains a mystery how the thief (or most likely thieves) made off with the weighty cover.
“It is a monumental, masterful work, unique in the world,” said collector and owner Christian Karoutzos to media outlet Ici.
“France was murdered last night; French heritage was murdered,” added Mr Karoutzos, who runs the arts centre where the book was on display.
The book and cover has a storied history, and since 1961 has been included in 146 exhibitions.
Sold several times to cover debts (including of Mr Foret), it was kept in a Japanese warehouse and at threat of being dismantled to cover costs before Mr Karoutzos purchased it and brought it back to France.
He planned to have the book recognised by the government as a monumental artwork, with its own permanent exhibit.
Potential plans included an exhibition in Angers, where the Apocalypse tapestry, a 14th-century tapestry recounting the Book of Revelation, is also on show.
