Two Damien Hirst artworks stolen in Britain

LONDON (AFP) ― Two signed works by British artist Damien Hirst have been stolen from a London gallery, police said Wednesday.

The two works, both from Hirst’s colorful series of “spot paintings,” are together worth around 33,000 pounds ($54,000).

They were stolen from the Exhibitionist Gallery in west London in the early hours of Monday. The thief forced open the gallery’s front doors and made off with the two etchings in a hatchback car, said Scotland Yard.

The larger of the works, named “Pyronin Y,” was created in 2005 and is worth 15,000 pounds. Hirst created the smaller “Oleoylsarcosine,” worth 18,000 pounds in 2008.

“It appears the suspect has specifically targeted the two pieces,” said Detective Sgt. Jon Lightfoot.

“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.”

Hirst, 48, rose to fame as one of the Young British Artists who dominated the art scene in the 1990s. He won the prestigious Turner Prize for contemporary art in 1995.

Known for his formaldehyde preservations of dead animals as well as his multi-coloured “spot paintings,” he is one of the richest artists in the world.

His show at London’s Tate Modern last year was the most popular in the gallery’s history, with some 463,000 visitors queueing to see works including a diamond-encrusted human skull called “For The Love Of God.”