Thieves have made off with one of the world's heaviest and most valuable books from a private art centre in the small French town of Issoire, in the Auvergne region. The Book of the Apocalypse, a unique 210-kilo volume created between 1958 and 1961, was stolen overnight from Sunday to Monday, according to the Clermont-Ferrand public prosecutor's office.
The book was conceived by Auvergne publisher Joseph Forêt as a total work of art inspired by the Book of Revelation. It comprises 150 parchments and features contributions from seven leading writers and seven painters of the era, including Ossip Zadkine, Léonard Foujita, Jean Cocteau and Jean Giono. Salvador Dalí sculpted the cover using the lost-wax casting technique, while Bernard Buffet also contributed illustrations.
A work with a global history
Between 1961 and 1972, the book was exhibited in nearly 150 shows worldwide. After that, it disappeared from public view for several years, stored in Switzerland before being sold to Japanese collectors. In 2003, Christian Karoutzos, head of an art restoration company in Issoire, purchased it just as the Japanese owners were preparing to auction it off piece by piece. He displayed the cover and several parchments in his contemporary art centre in the town.
Karoutzos, who described the work as "a cathedral-like work, a masterpiece, unique in the world", lamented to ICI Pays d'Auvergne: "France was murdered last night, French heritage was murdered."
Issoire's mayor, Bertrand Barraud, called the loss "incalculable" and said it was "the work of a lifetime". He noted that the book was privately owned and kept in a small private contemporary art museum that also housed other, less valuable pieces.
The Clermont-Ferrand gendarmerie's research unit has opened an investigation. The work is estimated to be worth several million euros.
The theft echoes a high-profile heist at the Louvre in Paris on 19 October 2025, when thieves stole jewels valued at €88 million. That incident, which raised questions about security at major French museums, remains under investigation.
For now, the loss of the Book of the Apocalypse is a blow to France's cultural heritage, and authorities are appealing for any information that could help recover the unique volume.
