In 2015, a spectacular theft shook the world of contemporary art. Five major works by Francis Bacon, undisputed master of 20^th century painting, were stolen from the Madrid apartment of José Capelo, the artist's former lover and confidant. Among these paintings, the "Study for the portrait of José Capelo" from 1989, estimated at five million euros, resurfaces today thanks to a meticulous and determined investigation carried out by the Spanish police. The theft, carried out with almost cinematic precision, was the work of a sophisticated criminal organization. The burglars managed to deactivate the alarm system and enter the apartment without leaving a trace, taking with them not only the paintings but also a safe and jewelry. This audacious crime was immediately classified among the biggest contemporary art thefts in Spain, causing shock waves in the artistic community and well beyond.

Since then, the Historical Heritage Brigade of the Spanish National Police has made considerable efforts to find these iconic works. Three of the five paintings had already been recovered in 2017, and recent advances in the investigation made it possible to locate a fourth painting in a building in Madrid. This discovery is the result of the arrest in February of two individuals, suspected of possessing stolen works of art. In total, sixteen people have been arrested since the start of this affair, including both the perpetrators of the theft and their sponsors, some with links to criminal groups in Eastern Europe.

The found work, the "Study for the Portrait of José Capelo",, is a striking representation of this Spanish banker who was one of Bacon's great loves. This portrait, like all of Bacon's creations, is marked by a disturbing and intense vision of the human condition, a distinctive trait that made the Irish artist one of the giants of his century. Bacon, born in Dublin in 1909 and died in Madrid in 1992, was fascinated by the great Spanish masters such as Goya and Velázquez, an influence perceptible in the dramatic intensity of his works.

These paintings, offered by Bacon to Capelo as a testimony of their love, are relics of deep intimacy, giving this theft a tragically personal dimension. The quest to find the last missing painting continues, with Spanish police determined to close this tumultuous chapter in the history of contemporary art.