Horizon Information Portal

HSPLS site

eBooks/Audiobooks

Reading Program

The Duke of Wellington kidnapped! : the incredible true story of the art heist that shocked a nation / Alan Hirsch ; introduction by Noah Charney.

by Hirsch, Alan, 1959- author.

View full image

Berkeley, CA : Counterpoint : Distributed by Publishers Group West, c2016.

Goya, Francisco, 1746-1828. Duke of Wellington.

Bunton, Kempton, 1904-1976.

National Portrait Gallery (Great Britain)

Art thefts -- England -- London.

9781619025912 (hardback) :

1619025914 (hardback) :

266 pages, 5 unnumbered pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cm

"In 1961, a thief broke into the National Gallery in London and committed the most sensational art heist in British history. He stole the museum's much prized painting, The Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya. Despite unprecedented international attention and an unflagging investigation, the case was not solved for four years, and even then, only because the culprit came forward voluntarily. Kempton Bunton, an elderly gentleman, claimed he executed the theft armed with only a toy gun, a disguise purchased for five shillings, and a getaway car inadvertently provided by a drunkard. Shortly after turning himself in, Bunton also invoked language in an obscure law to maintain his innocence, despite the confession. He did not allege that the confession was false, but rather that stealing the painting did not constitute a crime because he intended to return it. On account of this improbable defense strategy, the story took another twist, resulting in a bizarre courtroom drama and extraordinary verdict. Over fifty years later, Alan Hirsch decided to explore the facts behind this historic case and uncovered shocking new evidence that both solved the crime and deepened the mystery."--

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9884

Powered by Dynix

© 2001-2013 SirsiDynix All rights reserved.

Horizon Information Portal