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28 August 2026 MAK reopens after Vienna’s diamond necklace heist
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• One day after the theft, the MAK has reopened the GLANZSTÜCKE exhibition in consultation with police. From Paris echoes to Vienna realityThe theft at Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) has quickly attracted international media attention. The ingredients almost sound cinematic: a valuable historic jewel, a museum during opening hours, a smashed display case and two suspects disappearing with the prize. The comparison with Ocean's 8 is tempting — but reality is less glamorous and considerably more uncertain.The timing also recalls last year's spectacular Louvre jewellery robbery in Paris, which itself was soon picked up by the film industry. A feature film based on the investigative book Main basse sur le Louvre is in development, with French director Romain Gavras attached to direct. In Vienna, however, the story is still at its beginning. On Thursday, 27 August, two men reportedly entered the MAK at around 2pm as ordinary visitors. They then smashed a glass display case with a hammer and took the necklace. According to the latest police statement, the suspects fled on foot towards Stadtpark; one is also suspected of having carried a firearm. A royal necklace at the start of the exhibitionThe missing object is the 1939 Collerette by Van Cleef & Arpels. Made in platinum and set with 673 diamonds, it weighs 204.03 carats in total. A central diamond alone weighs approximately six carats. Its history gives the jewel an importance beyond its material value. The necklace was part of a royal commission connected with the 1939 marriage of Princess Fawzia of Egypt to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the future Shah of Iran. The necklace was worn at the wedding by Fawzia's mother, Queen Nazli of Egypt. Its last documented auction history also gives an indication of its financial dimension: Sotheby's records a sale for US$4.282 million in January 2015. That historic auction price should not automatically be treated as today's market value.The first chapter — and a very short route outThe necklace was displayed in the opening section of GLANZSTÜCKE, titled "Wanderlust". The chapter introduces ideas of travel, movement and encounters between cultures. That makes the location of the theft particularly striking. The suspects apparently did not need to navigate deep into the exhibition's scenographic sequence. They targeted a display near the beginning, broke the case and escaped.Police have so far officially confirmed the theft of one exhibition object. There is no official indication that additional jewellery from the same display case was taken. The MAK itself is referring questions about the crime to the police while the investigation continues. Police ask the public for helpThe Vienna police have released surveillance images of the two suspected perpetrators following an order from the Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office. Both are described as approximately 1.70–1.75 metres tall, slim, with dark hair and dark beards. They were wearing black outer clothing and dark trainers with white soles. According to the latest police update, investigators are now analysing secured traces and additional surveillance footage, while further witnesses are being interviewed. This confirms that the investigation has not been limited to the images already released. The stolen necklace is also officially listed on the Austrian Interior Ministry's public wanted-persons/property search.The exhibition opens againAs of Friday, 28 August, GLANZSTÜCKE is again open to visitors. The MAK says the conditions for reopening were reviewed in close coordination with police and that safe exhibition operations have been ensured. For investigative reasons, the museum is not providing further details about the theft.The reopening creates an unusual situation: visitors can once again walk through the exhibition, while one of its most historically significant jewels is now absent — and the police investigation is still unfolding outside its display cases. |