Monday, July 13, 2009

"It had to be someone who knew me, knew my house and possibly knew my habits"

"Burglars broke into [a Texas] home on June 23 and stole a dozen pieces of art from a who's who of 19th and 20th century artists: Pablo Picasso, French post-impressionist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, early abstractionist Paul Klee and Alexander Calder .... [The 85-year old homeowner] initially reported only the theft of an original work by Picasso, worth between $15,000 and $20,000, but this week noticed that 11 other pieces, including seven more by Picasso, ... were missing. Those pieces were on loan to her from dealers in New York and Los Angeles for an upcoming art show at her home."

Art Theft Central's Mark Durney has some questions: "Surprisingly, none of the art was insured. I would not expect such naiveté from a former gallery owner or her associates. Additionally, how has it taken two weeks for her to realize her colleagues' art is missing in action? One might presume if she were including the loaned works in a show at her private residence, then she (and her colleagues) would have been all the more eager to confirm whether or not they had been among the works stolen."