© picture alliance / PHOTOPQR/L'ALSACE | Jean-Marc Loos
The Lalique Museum in Wingen-sur-Moder, located in the French department of Bas-Rhin in eastern France, was robbed in the early morning of Sunday, July 5. The stolen items are worth several million euros.
The thieves reportedly broke in after first attempting to smash windows and then dismantling an emergency door. The alarm went off around 5:30 a.m., but the break-in was not discovered until an hour later, raising questions about the security response.
“About twenty pieces of jewelry were stolen,” a source told the French news agency AFP. “The damage is currently being assessed, but could amount to several million euros, likely around four million.”
An investigation has been launched, with the support of forensic experts, among others. Investigators also hope to attain more information by analyzing the video footage.
The theft is considered a major blow to this museum dedicated to the glass artist René Lalique, as some of the stolen pieces may be one-of-a-kind. “It’s a disaster for the museum,” BFMTV was told by the mayor of Wingen-sur-Moder. The museum will remain closed until further notice.
Master glass artist
René Lalique was a French jeweler and glass artist (1860–1945), known for his Art Nouveau and Art Deco designs. He gained fame for his innovative jewelry, perfume bottles, vases, and other luxury items, and his work helped shape modern French decorative arts.
Lalique lived and worked in Wingen-sur-Moder, where he founded the Verrerie d’Alsace in 1922. The Lalique Museum opened in July 2011. It displays approximately 650 pieces from its own collections, as well as items from the company’s storage facilities, on loan from Parisian museums, or from private collectors.
There is also a museum in Doesburg dedicated to the “Da Vinci of jewelry and glass art,” featuring not only Lalique’s jewelry and glassworks but also other works of art by his contemporaries.
Illustration: © picture alliance / PHOTOPQR/L'ALSACE | Jean-Marc Loos