Two of Damien Hirst’s Spot paintings were stolen from the Exhibitionist Gallery in Notting Hill in the early hours of Monday morning, just four days after being exhibited. The stolen pieces, Pyronin Y and Oleoylsarcosine were removed in a raid suspected to have taken place between 3 and 3.30am.
Both featuring the artist’s trademark coloured spots, Pyronin Y and Oleoylsarcosine are reported to be worth £15,000 and £18,000 respectively by the BBC.
Metropolitan Police spokesman Detective Sgt Jon Lightfoot has said that the robbery is believed to be carried out by just one person who transported the pieces by car. “It appears the suspect has specifically targeted the two pieces,” Det Lightfoot told the BBC. “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.”
Alongside works by Hirst, the Exhibitionist Gallery displays pieces by other eminent artists including Banksy, Andy Warhol, and Roy Lichtenstein.
Hirst came to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the Young British Artists. At this time he produced what has been considered his most provocative piece: The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, in which Hirst preserved a tiger shark in Pyronin Y. Hirst was presented the Turner prize in 1995 for his piece Mother and Child Divided.
