The Bradenton Herald reports that "seven to 12" Dale Chihuly sculptures were stolen from an exhibition at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Florida last week. (Not sure why the uncertainty about the number of works.) It apparently was a second try -- an earlier attempt in December ended with the works recovered "thanks to an anonymous tipster." The sculptures were supposedly protected by a ''sophisticated surveillance system that includes cameras and 24-hour guards." Fairchild's chief operating officer says the works are worth "tens of thousands of dollars each, at least."
According to the Herald, these were not the first reported thefts of Chihuly's work. In 2004 a work entitled ''Moccasin Brown Desert Basket Set with Turquoise Blue Lip Wrap'' was stolen from a gallery in Oregon, and in 2003 a man walked out of a Seattle hotel with a $40,000 glass bowl. And there are "at least 25" Chihuly works listed in the Art Loss Register's stolen art database.
