Police were today hunting a thief who broke into an art gallery and stole two Damien Hirst pieces worth £33,000.
The suspect forced open the door of the Exhibitionist Gallery in West London in the early hours of Monday morning.
He made off with two pieces featuring multi-coloured dots which have been signed by the renowned artist.
The larger of the two is entitled “Pyronin Y” and measures 103cm x 116cm. It was created in 2005 and is worth £15,000.
“Oleoylsarcosine”, the second piece, was created in 2008 and measures 67 x 89cm. It is worth £18,000.
After stealing the artwork, the thief loaded them into his hatchback before heading off in the direction of Ladbroke Grove.
The Met Police appealed for information about the crime.
Detective Sergeant Jon Lightfoot, from Kensington and Chelsea Borough, said: “It appears the suspect has specifically targeted the two pieces.
“The items would have been visible in the back of the car and we are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with information to please come forward.”
The Damien Hirst artwork which was stolen in Notting Hill was on loan from another gallery.
The hooded robber broke in by crow-barring the door open.
Nathan Engelbrecht, manager of Exhibitionist Gallery, said: “The gallery only opened in September so it was a massive coup for us to show some works by Damien Hirst.
“The artwork was consigned from another gallery. It is all insured but with Christmas coming up it couldn’t have happened at a worse possible time.
“It looks like a targeted robbery as there were other works which weren’t taken.”
How do we know it was a ‘he’?