by Redazione 14/11/2026
Categories: News / Disclaimer
On Sunday, November 8, between 4:55 p.m. and 5:10 p.m., someone stole *S’élevant*, a gilded bronze sculpture by Hans Arp from 1962, measuring just under 30 centimeters in height and valued at 135,000 euros, from the Ludorff gallery’s booth. The gallery and the police are asking for help in locating it.
A 1962 sculpture by Hans Arp was stolen from Germany’s most important art fair, Art Cologne, which is held annually in Cologne. The sculpture depicts a curved form that appears to grow and rise upward, cast in polished gold-colored bronze. It is titled *Sich aufrichtend* (or *S’elevant* in French, meaning “rising”), and stands just under thirty centimeters tall. Until last Sunday, it was on a pedestal at booth C-121 at Art Cologne, the art fair in Cologne. Then the pedestal was left empty. The news broke in the past few hours: according to the gallery that was exhibiting it, Ludorff in Düsseldorf, the theft occurred on Sunday, November 8, between 4:55 p.m. and 5:10 p.m.—a quarter of an hour—in the fair’s pavilions in the Deutz district.
The work is valued at 135,000 euros. The value of the metal, however, is minimal. A spokesperson for the Cologne police explained that it is too low to have been the motive for the theft: whoever took the sculpture was not interested in the bronze itself. Meanwhile, the police have released a photograph of the work to aid in its identification, while the gallery immediately notified the officers and filed a report.
In its appeal, Ludorff describes *S’élevant* as a typical example of Arp’s late period, dominated by organic forms. The upward movement suggested by the title, the gallery explains, is directly reflected in the sculpture’s curved form, which expands and rises. It is precisely this distinctive appearance that could help locate the work should it reappear on the market.
The gallery has issued an appeal asking collectors, colleagues, and art enthusiasts to be on the lookout and to notify them immediately if anyone were to offer them the sculpture, by emailing mail@ludorff.com or contacting the Cologne police at kk71.koeln@polizei.nrw.de. Anyone who was at booth C-121 during the 15 minutes the theft occurred and took photographs can send them to the gallery via email or WhatsApp at +49 157 38141925. According to Ludorff, even the smallest detail could be helpful.
For the gallery, the theft has marred what had, up until that point, been a very successful edition of the fair. Now, as stated in the appeal, the hope is that *S’élevant* will be found intact.
 |
| Germany: A Hans Arp artwork was stolen at the Art Cologne fair |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.