Mick Taylor’s lost 1959 Les Paul guitar resurfaces at Met Museum

A 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar belonging to former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, stolen over 50 years ago during the recording of "Exile on Main St." in France, has unexpectedly resurfaced as part of a 500-guitar collection donated to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, leaving Taylor "mystified" about how his prized instrument found its way into the prestigious institution's holdings.

Villa Nellcôte Burglary 1971

The 1971 burglary at Villa Nellcôte, the Stones' French mansion headquarters, perfectly illustrated the chaotic atmosphere of their tax exile period. The 16-room Belle Epoque villa was notoriously unsecured—"such an open house" according to Stones researcher Jack Vanderwyk that thieves simply walked out the front gate with nine of Keith Richards' guitars, Bobby Keys' saxophone, and Bill Wyman's bass in broad daylight while band members watched television in another room. The brazen theft was reportedly carried out by drug dealers from Marseille who were owed money by Richards.iconicriviera+3

The robbery became an emblematic moment of the band's decadent six-month "house party" in France, where they recorded much of "Exile on Main St." in the villa's basement. While some instruments were eventually recovered—Keith Richards later noted "we got some of the guitars back"—Taylor never received compensation for his stolen Les Paul. The incident underscored the "loose and stupid" environment at Nellcôte, as Bill Wyman described it, where drugs, hangers-on, and general debauchery created a notoriously permissive atmosphere.messynessychic+4

Mick Taylor's Les Paul Provenance

The guitar's journey began when Keith Richards acquired the 1959 Les Paul Standard, which he used during the Rolling Stones' legendary 1964 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1967, Richards sold the instrument to Mick Taylor as Taylor prepared to join John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. After Taylor joined the Stones in 1969, he played this distinctive Bigsby-equipped Les Paul extensively during the band's 1969-1970 tours, including their infamous Altamont concert. The guitar's historical significance extends beyond the Stones – both Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton reportedly borrowed and played it at various points.guitarworld+3

What makes this particular Les Paul identifiable is its unique "flaming" pattern in the wood grain, which Taylor's manager Marlies Damming describes as being "like a fingerprint." While some sources debate whether it's a 1958 or 1959 model, most evidence points to it being a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard. The guitar's original ownership history can be traced back to John Bowen, who purchased it new in March 1961 from Farmers Music Store in Luton, UK, and had the Bigsby vibrato installed at Selmer's in London before trading it in for a Gretsch Country Gentleman in late 1962.lespaulforum+5

Met museum in posession

The Metropolitan Museum of Art acquired the stolen Les Paul as part of a "trailblazing and transformative gift" of 500 guitars donated by collector Dirk Ziff in May 2025. This substantial collection was presented as making the Met "the epicenter for the appreciation and study of the American guitar." The donation elevated the instruments from mere rock memorabilia to cultural artifacts worthy of museum preservation, though questions about the provenance of Taylor's guitar have now cast a shadow over the acquisition.americansongwriter

Taylor remains completely bewildered by how his prized possession ended up in such a prestigious institution. "Taylor says he never received compensation for the theft and is mystified as to how his property found its way into the Met's collection," according to sources close to the guitarist. The guitar's journey from stolen rock instrument to museum piece was facilitated in part by Perry Margouleff, a guitar collector who ironically had previously helped Jimmy Page recover his own stolen "Black Beauty" 1960 Gibson Les Paul Custom. The Met has not yet publicly addressed the ownership controversy surrounding what has become one of the most historically significant pieces in their newly acquired guitar collection.ultimateclassicrock+2