Five paintings by British artist Francis Bacon worth an estimated 30m euros have been stolen from the Madrid home of their owner, El Pais reported on last Sunday.

西班牙大报《乡村报》上周日报道，英国艺术家弗朗西斯·培根价值预计达3000万欧元的5幅画在马德里一收藏家的住所内失窃。

Sources close to the investigation¹ said the theft appeared to have been a highly-professional operation which took place while the owner was away, with the perpetrators disabling the alarm system.

据接近该案件调查的消息人士透露，窃贼似乎非常专业，他们趁主人外出时行窃，并关闭了警报装置。

The thieves, who left no trace of their handiwork, had tracked the owner's movements to ensure he did not return to his apartment to catch them red-handed, they said.

消息人士表示，这些窃贼没有留下任何痕迹，并曾经跟踪过主人的行踪，以此确保主人不会在返回住所的时候当场抓住他们。

El Pais quoted the sources as saying the artwork, comprising portraits and landscapes, was stolen last June. It was not immediately clear why news of the theft was not made public until now. It was also unclear exactly which paintings were involved, but one contemporary art specialist told the paper they would be extremely difficult to sell.

《乡村报》引用消息来源称，失窃画作中既有人物肖像也有风景画。该案件发生在去年6月，但为什么案情直至近日才对外公布，目前还不得而知。目前也还不清楚哪些画作被盗，但是一位当代艺术专家告诉该报称，这些盗贼很难转手卖掉这些画。

"It is not at all easy to sell a Francis Bacon." said the expert, speaking on condition of anonymity². The owner of the paintings was a close friend of Bacon, the paper said.

一位不愿透露姓名的专家表示：“出售弗兰西斯·培根的作品可不是件容易的事情。” 根据该报报道，这些画作的主人是培根生前的密友。

Irish-born Bacon died in Madrid in 1992 aged 82 and his expressionist-surrealist works, which are often raw and emotional, remain hugely sought after.

培根是生于爱尔兰的英国画家，他于1992年在马德里去世，享年82岁。他的超现实主义作品往往是原始的、感性的，直到现在仍然备受追捧。