BRUSSELS, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The proprietor of an anarchist bar and museum in the Belgian capital said someone swiped an autographed pair of the Brussels mayor's underpants.

Jan Bucquoy, owner of the De Dolle Mol bar in Brussels, said Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur's undies were noticed missing during the weekend from the Museum of Underpants, which adorns the walls of the establishment, the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.


Bucquoy, an anarchist activist and filmmaker best known for his 1994 trilogy, "The Sexual Life of the Belgians," said he does not know how long the theft went unnoticed.

"Maybe I was naive. I thought my museum would make people laugh but I find that even my exhibits are not safe. What should I do? Install security cameras?" Bucquoy said.

"I hope to find the pants. If thieves return them to me then I promise to give them a beer," he said.

Bucquoy said Mayeur's underpants were intended to be part of a spring exhibit featuring undergarments from current and former Brussels mayors.

He said the exhibit would have the "philosophical purpose to show that all people are equal in their underpants, whether they are famous, rich, powerful or all three at the same time."

"My quest as an artist is to try to get rid of hierarchy," Bucquoy said.