NEW YORK: A fine arts publisher in New York is seeking the return of gold figurines worth an estimated $1 million which were apparently stolen during a party at his Manhattan home.

Alexis Gregory, 81, had invited 25 people to attend a piano recital and art exhibition at his Upper East Side apartment on Friday, a police spokesman told AFP on Wednesday.

Shortly after 11:00 pm, after the guests had left, it was discovered that "seven to eight gold figurines were missing," the spokesman said. The pieces were estimated to be worth $1 million.

Authorities were investigating and there have been no arrests.

Gregory is the founder of Vendome Press, which publishes books on fine art and architecture.

The art collector is known for his parties, hosted in his apartment not far from the Metropolitan Museum of Art or at his home in the Hamptons, a popular vacation spot for wealthy New Yorkers.

"I am very upset," the Swiss-born publisher told the New York Post. "I hope it doesn´t happen again."

He also told the New York Daily News that despite the apparent theft, he did not intend to stop hosting his events.

"I´ll continue doing things the way I do them."