[MSN] Police Advise Caution After Thefts From Chelsea Gallery

[MSN]

Police Advise Caution After Thefts From Chelsea Gallery
BY KATE TAYLOR. March 7, 2008

The community affairs and crime prevention office of a Chelsea police precinct put out an alert through an art-world e-mail newsletter, asking galleries to be extra vigilant while police investigate a theft that occurred Wednesday evening at the CUE Art Foundation, a not-for-profit gallery on West 25th Street.

The executive director of CUE, Jeremy Adams, said that the gallery was holding a showcase for a grant provider on Wednesday evening in the downstairs studio where its resident artists work. The group left the studio and went into the adjacent offices for "three to five minutes," Mr. Adams said, in which time someone came downstairs, took two artworks off the wall, and exited by another door. The building's security camera captured him exiting the building with the pieces under his arm.

Mr. Adams described the pieces, by the artist Byung Wang Cho, as unique works on photographic paper, and said that each retailed for $3000.

Journalists first learned of the theft from the e-mail newsletter, Baerfaxt.com, written by Josh Baer. Mr. Baer said that someone from the police called and asked him to warn galleries, through his newsletter, about the recent theft.

An assistant at Mitchell-Innes & Nash on West 26th Street, Ashley Robinson, said that after receiving Mr. Baer's e-mail she called the 10th precinct looking for more information. She was told that the suspect was a white male between 25 and 30 years old, 6 feet tall, well-dressed, and carrying a backpack. She said the detective advised that art dealers be cautious when locking up in the evening and not hesitate to call 911 if they saw anything suspicious.

A call by a reporter to the same number reached a voicemail box for the "10th precinct community affairs crime prevention office." A message was not immediately returned.

Following several phone calls seeking comment, an official at Police Headquarters said police were in the process of reaching out to detectives in Chelsea, but could not confirm or deny the incident.

A partner at Cheim & Read, Adam Sheffer, said the gallery was not taking any unusual security measures in the wake of the news. The gallery's routine precautions, he said, including nailing small works to the wall, using reinforcements to attach sculptures to their pedestals, and keeping "our eyes and ears open at all times."

"I think every [gallery] experiences some kind of theft at one point, whether it's artwork or computers or cash or a handbag," Mr. Sheffer said. "Part of being a public gallery is you serve a public service," he continued. "People come and go all day long. Are we going to have guards in the gallery? No, I think that would change the tone of what we do. But we're certainly more aware of who's coming in and out these days."

In this case, Mr. Sheffer said, he was puzzled about the thief's motive. "Contemporary art, unlike merchandise off the shelf in a store, is not like currency; it doesn't trade [easily] for cash. I wonder what would ever motivate somebody to do that," he said. "It's just so bizarre."

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