[MSN] 33 paintings stolen from North Collinwood art gallery

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33 paintings stolen from North Collinwood art gallery
Posted by Mark Puente January 19, 2008 20:26PM
Categories: Breaking News, Crime, Impact

It may not rank with the pilfering of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre or other
infamous art heists, but the theft of 33 paintings from a North Collinwood
gallery this week still has police and artists stumped.

A thief broke into the True Art Gallery on East 156th Street and stole the
paintings, identification labels and price tags, leaving nothing on the
walls. The bandit also took a computer, stereo system and two cordless
phones.

The question is, how did the thief or thieves make off with the art?

Many of the paintings are larger than the 2-foot-by-3-foot hole punched out
of the window. The gallery's two doors were locked and a wooden brace
secured the rear entrance.

Gallery co-owner Joanie Deveney said the paintings were not insured, and the
heist is not typical.

"People do steal art, but it's the Mona Lisa," she said. "I just want to get
the art back for the artists."

The show was the final held at the gallery, which opened two years ago but
is slated to close next week. Thieves stole power tools when Deveney and her
partner remodeled the building two years ago, but that didn't deter them
from opening the gallery.

"Why did it have to be the last show?" Deveney said. "We're all trying to
work together."

This theft devastated Deveney and other businesses owners in a neighborhood
that has staked it's revitalization to the art galleries, boutiques and
shops that have been springing up around Waterloo Road and the Beachland
Ballroom, a popular concert venue.

Councilman Mike Polensek said the area has been thriving and is trying to
attract more art-based businesses. Someone appears to have targeted the
gallery, he said.

"This is somebody who wanted that stuff," Polensek said. "Kids don't steal
paintings like that. This sounds organized."

The city needs to increase police patrols in the neighborhoods being
revitalized and not only focus on troubled areas, he said.

Several people wondered what will become of the paintings. They can't be
easily fenced like compact discs or tools.

Cindy Barber, president of the Northeast Shores Development Corp. and board
member of Arts Collinwood, a nonprofit arts-advocacy group, said a market
does not exist in Ohio for stolen art from budding artists.

"You can't take them to a pawn shop or scrap yard," she said.

Artist Bernadette Glorioso owns seven of the 33 paintings and fears they
will end up in the trash.

"It's hard to sell your own stuff," she said. "We're not Picasso."

A $500 reward is being offered for information on the theft. Call
216-486-0859 or the Cleveland police at 216-623-5618.