Kempton Bunton

Kempton Bunton
Born
Kempton Cannon Bunton[citation needed]

14 June 1904[1]
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England[1]
DiedApril 1976[3]
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England[2]
SpouseDorothy Bunton (née Donnelly)[3]
Childrenfive (incl. sons John and Kenneth)[1][2]
Criminal chargeoffence contrary to section 2 of the Larceny Act 1916 [unlawfully taking property of the Trustees of the National Gallery by stealing the frame of the portrait of the Duke of Wellington][1][2]
Penalty3 mos. imprisonment[2]
Imprisoned atH.M. Prison Ford[1]

Kempton Cannon Bunton (14 June 1904[1]–April 1976[3]) was a disabled British pensioner[not verified in body] and unemployed bus driver who confessed to taking Francisco Goya's painting Portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London in 1961.[4][2][5] The story of Bunton and the painting was the subject of the October 2015 BBC Radio 4 drama Kempton and the Duke,[6] and the 2020 film The Duke.[7]

A National Archives file released in 2012 revealed Bunton's son John had confessed to the theft in 1969.[8]

  1. ^ a b c d e f The National Gallery Staff. "Hugh Courts' Papers Relating to the Trial of Kempton Bunton [Archive Description]" (1958–1966). NGA26. London, England: The National Gallery. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Falk, Graham (28 February 2022). "The Duke: What Happened to Kempton Bunton, is Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent Film The Duke a True Story?". Scotsman.com. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Messenger, Robert (13 April 2022). "The Duke' and the Remington Portable Typewriter". The Wonderful World of Typewriters [OZTypewriter.blogspot.com]. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  4. ^ BBC Staff (23 August 2004). "Greatest Heists in Art History". BBC.com. Retrieved 14 December 2004. ...an unemployed driver, Kempton Bunton, admitted going into the National Gallery through an open window and going out with the painting under his arm. / He said he wanted to use the ransom money to buy TV licences for the poor and he served three months in jail. But papers released by the National Gallery in 1996 revealed that he was probably innocent.
  5. ^ Nicita, Antonio; Rizzolli, Matteo (23 March 2005). Screaming Too Mu(n)ch? The Economics of Art Thefts. 18th Erfurt Workshop on Law and Economics.[full citation needed]
  6. ^ Writer: David Spicer; Kempton Bunton: Kevin Whately; Producer: Liz Anstee (6 October 2015). "Kempton and the Duke". Radio 4 drama. BBC. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  7. ^ "The Duke - opening 22 April 2022". Sony Pictures Classics. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  8. ^ Travis, Alan (30 November 2012). "Revealed: 1961 Goya 'theft' from National Gallery was a family affair". The Guardian.