Belgian police are investigating the theft of the infant Jesus figure from a controversial Nativity scene at a Brussels Christmas market. The installation, created by German artist Victoria-Maria Geyer, features faceless cloth figures intended to allow all Catholics to identify with the biblical story, but it sparked a national scandal and political backlash, with critics calling the design zombie-like and the €65,000 cost exorbitant. The figure was stolen from its manger in the early hours of November 29, and authorities have since replaced it with a new model.
The incident matters because it highlights the intersection of art, religion, and politics in contemporary Europe, where a public art commission became a flashpoint for cultural and ideological divisions. The controversy, amplified by social media and political figures, underscores how publicly funded artworks can become symbols of broader societal tensions, and the theft adds a layer of security and public discourse around the role of art in civic spaces.