Parts of lead sculpture by German artist Kiefer stolen in France

Thieves have severely damaged a monumental lead sculpture by the German artist Anselm Kiefer, who lives in France, and stolen parts of it from a warehouse near Paris.

The damage was estimated by the 78-year-old Kiefer at more than €1 million ($1.09 million), according to media reports from the public prosecutor's office in the city of Meaux to the north-east of the capital on Friday.

Kiefer has become world-famous for his historical, monumental and material-rich paintings and sculptures. In a ranking of the world's most important artists, the Art Compass, Kiefer was listed in eighth place just over a month ago.

The burglars broke into a warehouse belonging to Kiefer during the night in Croissy-Beaubourg near Paris, according to the public prosecutor's office. The burglars were after a work of art that was secured by a strong wire mesh fence.

Video surveillance showed four people scaling the car park fence, entering the site, cutting the steel fence around the artwork and then taking the lead ropes from which it was made, the AFP news agency quoted the public prosecutor's office as saying.

The thieves were then chased by security after around 20 minutes.

The artist's studios have been broken into several times in the past. Back in 2016, a work of art in the warehouse was damaged and 12 tons of marble and 10 tons of lead was stolen. The damage totalled around €1.5 million. There was another attempted break-in in 2019. It was suspected that the thieves wanted to capitalize less on the artistic value of the artworks and more on the value of their materials.