[MSN] Santana Row gallery mystified by art theft

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    Santana Row gallery mystified by art theft
PAINTING DISAPPEARS WHILE STAFF AT SANTANA ROW SHOP DISTRACTED
By Jessie Mangaliman
Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
Article Launched:04/15/2007 01:39:25 AM PDT

Whether it was the oil painting's contrast of sunlight and moonlight or 
the $35,000 price tag that caught the thief's eye, Frank Licsko's 
treasured art is gone.

"To me it's a big loss. I thought, `Should I be flattered? Should I be 
upset?' Someone is going around stealing expensive paintings!" said the 
San Jose artist.

One month after it vanished in broad daylight from a Santana Row art 
gallery, the painting is still missing.

"It's an unusual image," said Licsko, author of the work, titled "Tree 
of Life." It's an oil painting of an earth-like disc, in yin-yang style 
- one side in sunlight, the other in moonlight.

The painting, measuring 3 feet by 3 feet, had been in consignment at the 
Blu Art Gallery at Santana Row since November, one of hundreds of 
paintings displayed in the 6,000-square-foot gallery.

On March 15, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., the painting disappeared while 
two employees and the manager were attending to other things.

"Whoever did this had to distract all of us at once," said gallery owner 
John Nassar. "This is professional."

In the frame, the painting measured five-foot square, and would have 
been difficult to carry out of the gallery, Nassar said.

"I've been in this business for 15 years," he said, "and I've never seen 
this happen. This is a very sophisticated type of theft."

Nassar said when he opened the store at 11 a.m., the painting was still 
in the gallery. But when another employee arrived to begin a new shift 
at 1 p.m., the first thing he noticed was the blank spot on a wall where 
the painting was hung, 20 feet from the gallery entrance.

Nassar said he has since learned from Santana Row security that 
surveillance cameras were not scanning in the vicinity at the time. 
Nassar reported the theft to Santana Row security, who reported it to 
San Jose police.

Sgt. Nick Muyo confirmed the theft, but was unable to provide details on 
Friday. And a spokesman for Santana Row said he was checking on the 
status of the case.

As for the 61-year-old Licsko, he was stunned when he heard about the theft.

"My jaw dropped," he said.

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/Contact Jessie Mangaliman at jmangaliman at mercurynews .com or (408) 
920-5794.

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