Spanish Police Recover a Trove of Stolen Works By Dalí and Miró That Were Burgled From Private Houses

Spanish authorities have recovered a trove of stolen artworks by the Surrealist artists Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró.

The valuable masterpieces had been taken from houses in Barcelona last year, sparking a major police investigation that led authorities to a hideout in Catalonia. Officers found the masterpieces alongside a hoard of stolen money, watches, jewelry, and expensive pens.

Among the works recovered on Friday, February 17, were two charcoal drawings on brown paper made by Dalí in 1922, when he was still a teenager. He made them for the book by the writer Pere Coromine. These charming pastoral scenes have been authenticated by the Gala-Salvador Dali Foundation and have been valued at around $300,000.

The thieves had also taken five works that authorities have attributed to Miró though have yet to be verified by the artist’s estate.

The police have arrested five suspects, including three brothers aged 50, 53 and 55 who are believed to be behind a larger criminal ring that organized the thefts and several others targeting high-end neighborhoods in the city.  Another two suspects were charged with receiving the goods. All detainees have now been released on bail ahead of trial.

The same agents, part of Catalonia’s autonomous police force Mossos d’Esquadra, have also shut down a forgery workshop in Badalona that specialized in lithographs falsely attributed to Dalí and Picasso, according to a report in . The criminal business had been selling prints online for between €500-€1,000 ($535-$1,070), finding customers across the globe including in Australia, Chile and China.

More Trending Stories:

The Sagrada Familia Will Finally Be Completed in 2026. The Last Challenge? Demolishing the Homes of Some 3,000 Local Residents

VIP Day at Frieze Los Angeles’s New Airport Venue Takes Off With Soaring Sales and Its Now-Signature Star-Studded Crowd

Georgia O’Keeffe’s Santa Fe Home, Visited by the Dalai Lama and Later Owned by Paul Allen, Is for Sale for $15 Million

Stefan Simchowitz May No Longer Be Hated by the LA Art Scene, Kanye West Shows Up Uninvited at a Frieze Party, and More Juicy Art World Gossip

See How Artist Brigitte D’Annibale Transformed an Abandoned Malibu Home Into a Spectacular Immersive Installation

Art Industry News: Princess Diana’s Turbulent Personal Letters Sell at Auction + Other Stories

Five Archaeological Museums in Greece Have Closed in Protest of a New Law That Puts Them Under Government Control

The Spring Break Art Fair Once Again Brings Quirky Surprises to Los Angeles, From Musical Chandeliers to Live Mystery Tattooing

Archaeologists Broke Open King Tut’s Inner Tomb Exactly 100 Years Ago. Here Are 5 of the Most Opulent Artifacts They Found