Case · Theft
The Dulwich Picture Gallery Theft (1961)
Eight Old Masters from England's oldest public gallery
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Image: Unsplash
England's oldest public picture gallery lost a group of Old Master paintings to thieves in 1961. The works were recovered, an early sign of the gallery's recurring vulnerability.
Dulwich, founded in 1811, holds an exceptional collection of Baroque painting in a modest suburban setting — a combination that has repeatedly attracted thieves.
The 1961 theft was resolved with the paintings' return, but it foreshadowed a run of burglaries that would make one small Rembrandt the most-stolen painting in the world.