A painting worth £25,000 by Russian artist Sergei Chepik has been stolen from an office in Vauxhall.
Police are appealing for witnesses after Night Flight was stolen from the business premises in Westminster Business Square, Durham Street.
The painting was taken while the office was unstaffed between March 21 and March 24.
It is dark in colour with a black, blue, orange, purple and grey colour palate portraying people stood around a tall gate.
The distinctive painting is approximately three feet square and was in a gold and black frame. It was not on display but hidden away in a silver art bag, leaning against a wall in the building.
Detective Constable Anne Hogarth, of Lambeth CID, said: “The painting had been on display at the Catto Gallery in Hampstead in February in a retrospective exhibition of the artist's work and had been temporarily stored in the business premises and was to be returned to the owner's home when it was stolen.
“We are appealing for any information from the public who may have seen this recognisable piece of artwork to come forward.”
Chepik, who died in 2011, was hailed a visionary of his time and lived in Paris for most of his life.
His work includes portraits of Rudolf Nureyev, Margaret Thatcher and a set of canvases for St Paul’s Cathedral entitled The Way, The Truth, The Life.
Anyone with information can call Lambeth CID on 020 8649 2153 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
