The greatest art heist you’ve never heard of revealed in ‘The Duke’
nypost.comSpoilers for “The Duke” ahead.It’s the greatest heist you’ve never heard of.The year was 1961. The United Kingdom was filled with pride that one of its national treasures — a priceless portrait of the Duke of Wellington by famed Spanish artist Francisco de Goya — was to securely remain in England after government funds were raised to stave off an interested American buyer.
The painting was proudly put on display in London’s National Gallery for all to view. But, just 19 days after it was installed in the museum, it was snatched in the early hours of the morning.
John Bunton, a 20-something petty thief from Newcastle, was visiting the supposedly highly secured exhibition hall one day when he noticed that the window in the men’s bathroom opened just enough so that one could sneak in and out of it.
He left a matchstick on the window and tape on the lock to test if security would notice. When he returned the next day, nothing had been disturbed, so he hatched a plan.
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