Oceans 1
July 6, 2011 3:39 PM Subscribe
Shortly before noon yesterday morning an art thief walked into the Weinstein Gallery near San Francisco's Union Square, grabbed Pablo Picasso's 1965 pencil drawing, "Tête de Femme (Head of a Woman)" and strolled casual out of the museum to a waiting cab. Witnesses described the man as a "well dressed" "white man about 6 feet tall, age 30 to 35, wearing a dark jacket, a white shirt, dark pants, large dark glasses and loafers with no socks." Surveillance cameras at nearby restaurant Lefty O'Doul's appear to have captured the suspect as he walked briskly down the street, Picasso under arm.
“Most galleries that show this caliber of artwork don’t put it on street level,” said gallery owner Rowland Weinstein. “It’s very upsetting, because my goal is to keep this kind of work accessible to the public.” Weinstein says the piece was insured and is valued at $200,000.
Cool indeed. I wouldn't have attempted that without at least a hard hat and clipboard.
posted by klarck at 3:43 PM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by klarck at 3:43 PM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
Mr. Crowne?
posted by Godspeed.You!Black.Emperor.Penguin at 3:43 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Godspeed.You!Black.Emperor.Penguin at 3:43 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Dude's got balls like boulders.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 3:44 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 3:44 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
So the piece was displayed in a much more accessible part of the gallery than usual for one of such value, and it was conveniently insured. I hope Mr. Weinstein is ready for the proctologist the insurance company is about to send over.
posted by localroger at 3:48 PM on July 6, 2011 [10 favorites]
posted by localroger at 3:48 PM on July 6, 2011 [10 favorites]
Cool customer.
Dude's got balls like boulders.
Not really. The only thing that differentiates him from any teenager shoplifting a pack of gum is 20 years and $199,999.50
posted by dersins at 3:49 PM on July 6, 2011 [6 favorites]
Dude's got balls like boulders.
Not really. The only thing that differentiates him from any teenager shoplifting a pack of gum is 20 years and $199,999.50
posted by dersins at 3:49 PM on July 6, 2011 [6 favorites]
Guy's an asshole. Something Pablo Picasso was never called.
posted by chavenet at 3:51 PM on July 6, 2011 [38 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 3:51 PM on July 6, 2011 [38 favorites]
My wife likes to discuss an experiment that one of her high school teachers did, which I understand is fairly common. They were actually having a lecture about the reliability of eyewitness testimony when two guys rushed into the room, there was a brief altercation, and they rushed out. The teacher then asked everyone to write down what happened. To a student, the whole class agreed that a black guy had chased a white guy into the room, held him up with a gun, and run off with his wallet. The teacher then brought the actors back in and showed that the white guy had actually chased the black guy in, held him up with a banana, and run off with his pocket calculator.
posted by localroger at 3:51 PM on July 6, 2011 [22 favorites]
posted by localroger at 3:51 PM on July 6, 2011 [22 favorites]
I was not in town and loafers hurt my feet.
posted by clavdivs at 3:51 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by clavdivs at 3:51 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Can't they make it accessible but also bolt the frame to the f-ing wall?
posted by octothorpe at 3:51 PM on July 6, 2011 [14 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 3:51 PM on July 6, 2011 [14 favorites]
The only thing that differentiates him from any teenager shoplifting a pack of gum is 20 years and $199,999.50
And the fact that he just stole a Picasso off a gallery wall.
posted by stinkycheese at 3:52 PM on July 6, 2011 [9 favorites]
And the fact that he just stole a Picasso off a gallery wall.
posted by stinkycheese at 3:52 PM on July 6, 2011 [9 favorites]
He's probably just going to color it in and return it.
posted by perhapses at 3:53 PM on July 6, 2011 [13 favorites]
posted by perhapses at 3:53 PM on July 6, 2011 [13 favorites]
Guy's an asshole. Something Pablo Picasso was never called.
Never?
Not in New York
posted by chavenet at 3:54 PM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
Never?
Not in New York
posted by chavenet at 3:54 PM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
And the fact that he just stole a Picasso off a gallery wall.
YM "shoplifted." HTH.
posted by dersins at 3:54 PM on July 6, 2011
YM "shoplifted." HTH.
posted by dersins at 3:54 PM on July 6, 2011
Picasso's an artist. He's not an asshole... He'd be called L'asshole.
posted by symbioid at 3:55 PM on July 6, 2011
posted by symbioid at 3:55 PM on July 6, 2011
Loafers with no socks?
Arrest this man immediately.
posted by koeselitz at 3:55 PM on July 6, 2011 [5 favorites]
Arrest this man immediately.
posted by koeselitz at 3:55 PM on July 6, 2011 [5 favorites]
I wondered what he's going to do with it.
As usual, AskMe has the answer.
posted by Floydd at 3:56 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
As usual, AskMe has the answer.
posted by Floydd at 3:56 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
Fellow shows some initiative and tries to get a head in this world, and everybody just
posted by stinkycheese at 3:57 PM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by stinkycheese at 3:57 PM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
This gallery, by the way, is amazing. I hope this theft doesn't mean they'll make all their pieces inaccessible to the public, because it's so great to walk in there and "hey, like ten Calder mobiles! Neat!".
posted by padraigin at 3:57 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by padraigin at 3:57 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm sure USA is pleased that most of the descriptions sound like they are of Neal Cafferty.
posted by feloniousmonk at 3:58 PM on July 6, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by feloniousmonk at 3:58 PM on July 6, 2011 [5 favorites]
This is funny to me because 1) I had four pieces of work by renowned Pop Artists in the back of my Volvo earlier today (roughly increasing its value by say, about four-thousand percent), and no one batted an eye when I moved them from the gallery to storage (out of a gallery, down one elevator, through a busy lobby, out on a sidewalk, into my car, out on another sidewalk through a less busy lobby and in another elevator) and also because 2) I spent the other part of my day putting security straps and security screws in newly acquired artwork that was not a a Picasso that we still didn't want walking away. For about $40, this thing could have been very secure (assuming someone with authority walks by every so often and notices anyone who has a specialized screwdriver and is messing with their Picasso) and very visible at street level.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 4:02 PM on July 6, 2011 [13 favorites]
posted by 1f2frfbf at 4:02 PM on July 6, 2011 [13 favorites]
He seemed to embrace my "smoking weed in public" strategy of just being so completely brazen and nonchalant that nobody would even question what you're doing.
posted by nathancaswell at 4:05 PM on July 6, 2011 [14 favorites]
posted by nathancaswell at 4:05 PM on July 6, 2011 [14 favorites]
See, this shows exactly what I've been saying about Picasso and the Surrealists. People bother to steal Picasso's work; thieves only steal Dali's stuff by accident, and then return them with a note of complaint.
posted by happyroach at 4:06 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by happyroach at 4:06 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
Damn. I've walked by that gallery a ton of times and thought "you could just walk in there and grab something..." But it wasn't me!
posted by grapesaresour at 4:07 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by grapesaresour at 4:07 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'm not impressed by this thief. The Weinstein galleries are very open and have no real security; there are no guards or perimeters or warning signs, in general. In fact, you can get much closer to the art than in any museum.
I have discovered several fantastic artists through the Weinstein gallery; on the first occasion the sight of an Istvan Sandorfi piece in the window stopped me in my tracks. The gallery was closed, but Rowland weinstein, who was inside, spotted me and invited me in to see more, giving me a private lesson lasting almost an hour. At first, I protested that I had neither the money nor the space to buy any of the art in his gallery; he shushed me, saying 'I don't care about that. Come in and share mine.' He also assisted me with sourcing a copy of the artist's rather hard-to-find workbook.
So yeah, screw this shoplifter.
posted by anigbrowl at 4:08 PM on July 6, 2011 [78 favorites]
I have discovered several fantastic artists through the Weinstein gallery; on the first occasion the sight of an Istvan Sandorfi piece in the window stopped me in my tracks. The gallery was closed, but Rowland weinstein, who was inside, spotted me and invited me in to see more, giving me a private lesson lasting almost an hour. At first, I protested that I had neither the money nor the space to buy any of the art in his gallery; he shushed me, saying 'I don't care about that. Come in and share mine.' He also assisted me with sourcing a copy of the artist's rather hard-to-find workbook.
So yeah, screw this shoplifter.
posted by anigbrowl at 4:08 PM on July 6, 2011 [78 favorites]
I'm sure USA is pleased that most of the descriptions sound like they are of Neal Cafferty.
posted by feloniousmonk at 3:58 PM on July 6 [+] [!]
Until they get to the no-socks bit. Somehow I can't imagine Neal without socks.
posted by sardonyx at 4:08 PM on July 6, 2011
posted by feloniousmonk at 3:58 PM on July 6 [+] [!]
Until they get to the no-socks bit. Somehow I can't imagine Neal without socks.
posted by sardonyx at 4:08 PM on July 6, 2011
It would do the mainstream media some good to realise that the more nonchalant you are when carrying out a theft - chewing gum, a dvd, a Picasso - the easier the theft is. The more up front you are, the more you interact with staff and security, the easier the theft is. High profile art thefts are always brazen, there's nothing much interesting about this.
posted by fire&wings at 4:09 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by fire&wings at 4:09 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
He seemed to embrace my "smoking weed in public" strategy of just being so completely brazen and nonchalant that nobody would even question what you're doing.
I'm not proud of it, but in my early 20's this was my exact strategy for stealing beer from supermarkets. Go in, pick up beer, walk out. Was never stopped.
posted by josher71 at 4:10 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm not proud of it, but in my early 20's this was my exact strategy for stealing beer from supermarkets. Go in, pick up beer, walk out. Was never stopped.
posted by josher71 at 4:10 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
I guess in retrospect I should I should have stolen priceless artwork instead of Henry Weinhard's.
posted by josher71 at 4:11 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by josher71 at 4:11 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'm sure USA is pleased that most of the descriptions sound like they are of Neal Cafferty.
I'd think they'd be more worried that he's neatly skewered their show by pointing out just how operatically overwrought their plots are. This guy just walks in and takes the Picasso. White Collar needed a long-lost villain who screwed Neal over years ago then faked his death, plus a whole fucking Nazi U-Boat to do that story.
posted by Naberius at 4:19 PM on July 6, 2011
I'd think they'd be more worried that he's neatly skewered their show by pointing out just how operatically overwrought their plots are. This guy just walks in and takes the Picasso. White Collar needed a long-lost villain who screwed Neal over years ago then faked his death, plus a whole fucking Nazi U-Boat to do that story.
posted by Naberius at 4:19 PM on July 6, 2011
This gallery, by the way, is amazing. I hope this theft doesn't mean they'll make all their pieces inaccessible to the public, because it's so great to walk in there and "hey, like ten Calder mobiles! Neat!".
To be fair, if someone was able to easily slip a mobile under their arm and walk out, it would be a very impressive trick.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 4:20 PM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
To be fair, if someone was able to easily slip a mobile under their arm and walk out, it would be a very impressive trick.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 4:20 PM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
You expected USA to make an understated show? I'm honestly surprised that they've kept it as reasonable as they have.
Good call though, sardonyx. He only would neglect to wear socks if Ford asked.
posted by feloniousmonk at 4:26 PM on July 6, 2011
Good call though, sardonyx. He only would neglect to wear socks if Ford asked.
posted by feloniousmonk at 4:26 PM on July 6, 2011
High profile art thefts are always brazen, there's nothing much interesting about this.
Yeah for every one "Landed on the roof of the palace from the helicopter" there are 20 "walked up, took it."
posted by The Whelk at 4:29 PM on July 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
Yeah for every one "Landed on the roof of the palace from the helicopter" there are 20 "walked up, took it."
posted by The Whelk at 4:29 PM on July 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
Heh - I recently posted an animation of a Picasso theft. I am suspicious of you all now.
posted by madamjujujive at 4:35 PM on July 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by madamjujujive at 4:35 PM on July 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
In Melbourne in 1986, Weeping Woman (1937) was stolen by a group calling themselves Australian Cultural Terrorists. Their demands were for a 10 per cent increase in arts funding and an annual prize for painting "open to artists under 30", consisting of five prizes of $5000 each.
A week later the painting was found in locker 227 of Melbourne's main interstate railway station. The persons responsible were never found. (Read the full story here)
posted by wilful at 4:38 PM on July 6, 2011 [10 favorites]
A week later the painting was found in locker 227 of Melbourne's main interstate railway station. The persons responsible were never found. (Read the full story here)
posted by wilful at 4:38 PM on July 6, 2011 [10 favorites]
@feloniusmonk,
Don't get me started on the Ford sponsorship. The first time it happened it was cute-ish -- at least it was as close to cute as a pre-paid ad in the middle of a show could get. It rapidly went downhill from there. The last one (something about towing capacity) made me want to scream.
Naberius
Speaking of making me want to scream, that whole Nazi U-boat treasure plotline really put the show into "jumping the shark" territory. I still really want to like the show as much as I did in the first season, but damn it's getting harder and harder to watch. I really used to look forward to it. Now I approach it with more dread in a "how did they screw it up this time?" manner. And I say that as somebody who actually watched most episodes of the network's premier crime drama, Silk Stalkings. (Yes I know it was bad and cheesy and poorly written, but it was bad and cheesy and poorly written in a kind-of entertaining way.) Oh well, at least it's still leagues and leagues above Leverage (especially in the believability department) and slightly less formulaic than Burn Notice.
posted by sardonyx at 4:43 PM on July 6, 2011
Don't get me started on the Ford sponsorship. The first time it happened it was cute-ish -- at least it was as close to cute as a pre-paid ad in the middle of a show could get. It rapidly went downhill from there. The last one (something about towing capacity) made me want to scream.
Naberius
Speaking of making me want to scream, that whole Nazi U-boat treasure plotline really put the show into "jumping the shark" territory. I still really want to like the show as much as I did in the first season, but damn it's getting harder and harder to watch. I really used to look forward to it. Now I approach it with more dread in a "how did they screw it up this time?" manner. And I say that as somebody who actually watched most episodes of the network's premier crime drama, Silk Stalkings. (Yes I know it was bad and cheesy and poorly written, but it was bad and cheesy and poorly written in a kind-of entertaining way.) Oh well, at least it's still leagues and leagues above Leverage (especially in the believability department) and slightly less formulaic than Burn Notice.
posted by sardonyx at 4:43 PM on July 6, 2011
Damn. I've walked by that gallery a ton of times and thought "you could just walk in there and grab something..." But it wasn't me!
I can't remember who the comedian was, but this bit will always stay with me:
Whenever you see a line of cop cars flying down the street in the opposite direction you're traveling, it's only natural to think: "You know, I'm not generally a criminal kind of person, but I could probably knock over a 7-11 right now and get away with it."
I still have thoughts like that all the time.
posted by Doublewhiskeycokenoice at 4:44 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
I can't remember who the comedian was, but this bit will always stay with me:
Whenever you see a line of cop cars flying down the street in the opposite direction you're traveling, it's only natural to think: "You know, I'm not generally a criminal kind of person, but I could probably knock over a 7-11 right now and get away with it."
I still have thoughts like that all the time.
posted by Doublewhiskeycokenoice at 4:44 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
I like to think he uttered a quiet "Yoink!" while taking the Picasso off the wall.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:50 PM on July 6, 2011 [19 favorites]
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 4:50 PM on July 6, 2011 [19 favorites]
Somewhere in Mexico, Tom Ripley is undergoing a quiet round of plastic surgery.
posted by adipocere at 4:55 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by adipocere at 4:55 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
from the "captured the suspect" link:
O'Doul's will be, Houskeeper says, sharing thai footage with SFPD this morning, but that doesn't mean the case is closed -- SFPD is still asking that anyone with information about the theft is asked to call San Francisco police at (415) 575-4444, text a tip to TIP411, or call 911.
autocorrect is the real thief here.
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 5:01 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
O'Doul's will be, Houskeeper says, sharing thai footage with SFPD this morning, but that doesn't mean the case is closed -- SFPD is still asking that anyone with information about the theft is asked to call San Francisco police at (415) 575-4444, text a tip to TIP411, or call 911.
autocorrect is the real thief here.
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 5:01 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
How can a Picasso be only worth $200,000?
It's small, it's not particularly notable, and Picasso drawings aren't exactly scarce.
posted by The Whelk at 5:02 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
I often wonder about the black market for high-profile stolen art. Who is buying these things? Do they have secret art rooms that no one may enter?
posted by Hoopo at 5:09 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Hoopo at 5:09 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
So the piece was displayed in a much more accessible part of the gallery than usual for one of such value, and it was conveniently insured. I hope Mr. Weinstein is ready for the proctologist the insurance company is about to send over.
Don't galleries usually get the valuable artwork they show insured?
posted by eugenen at 5:12 PM on July 6, 2011
Don't galleries usually get the valuable artwork they show insured?
posted by eugenen at 5:12 PM on July 6, 2011
On a side note, I once read that Cary Grant is the person who made sock-less loafers chic.
posted by Tullyogallaghan at 5:26 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Tullyogallaghan at 5:26 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
This gallery, by the way, is amazing.
Yet they don't have security cameras? They rely on Lefty's? There's something not right about that.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:35 PM on July 6, 2011
Yet they don't have security cameras? They rely on Lefty's? There's something not right about that.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:35 PM on July 6, 2011
loafers with no socks.
Did this cab have a flux capacitor?
posted by dirigibleman at 5:37 PM on July 6, 2011
Did this cab have a flux capacitor?
posted by dirigibleman at 5:37 PM on July 6, 2011
So I'm looking for a 4:3 "white" guy displaying at 16:9?
posted by humboldt32 at 5:38 PM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by humboldt32 at 5:38 PM on July 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
on the first occasion the sight of an Istvan Sandorfi piece in the window
NSFW (!)
posted by nzero at 5:51 PM on July 6, 2011
NSFW (!)
posted by nzero at 5:51 PM on July 6, 2011
Something Pablo Picasso was never called.
To clarify: John Cale - Pablo Picasso
posted by philip-random at 5:56 PM on July 6, 2011
To clarify: John Cale - Pablo Picasso
posted by philip-random at 5:56 PM on July 6, 2011
on the first occasion the sight of an Istvan Sandorfi piece in the window
NSFW (!)
No, it's not safe for work, but you should all make a point of visiting that link after work, because it's stunning work.
posted by winna at 6:05 PM on July 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
NSFW (!)
No, it's not safe for work, but you should all make a point of visiting that link after work, because it's stunning work.
posted by winna at 6:05 PM on July 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
I often wonder about the black market for high-profile stolen art. Who is buying these things? Do they have secret art rooms that no one may enter?
Often when a high profile work of art gets stolen it becomes a form of currency in the underworld. There's too much heat so the piece becomes very difficult to sell. But, if you trade the piece for a certain amount of drugs or arms then you have something with a market already in place. It just keeps getting traded for various underground commodities.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 6:24 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Often when a high profile work of art gets stolen it becomes a form of currency in the underworld. There's too much heat so the piece becomes very difficult to sell. But, if you trade the piece for a certain amount of drugs or arms then you have something with a market already in place. It just keeps getting traded for various underground commodities.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 6:24 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Guy's an asshole. Something Pablo Picasso was never called.
Never?
Well the girls could not resist his ... stare.
posted by zomg at 6:24 PM on July 6, 2011
Never?
Well the girls could not resist his ... stare.
posted by zomg at 6:24 PM on July 6, 2011
Hoopo: I often wonder about the black market for high-profile stolen art. Who is buying these things? Do they have secret art rooms that no one may enter?
While there are probably a few of those super-rich collectors who want what they want, stolen art is also used as collateral in the various criminal underworlds, which I've heard is the most common usage of stolen art these days.
posted by julen at 6:28 PM on July 6, 2011
While there are probably a few of those super-rich collectors who want what they want, stolen art is also used as collateral in the various criminal underworlds, which I've heard is the most common usage of stolen art these days.
posted by julen at 6:28 PM on July 6, 2011
Loafers with no socks?
Arrest this man immediately.
Welcome to the killfile!
posted by villanelles at dawn at 6:28 PM on July 6, 2011
Arrest this man immediately.
Welcome to the killfile!
posted by villanelles at dawn at 6:28 PM on July 6, 2011
It's small, it's not particularly notab and Picasso drawings aren't exactly scarce.
From what I've heard, Picasso had a trick late in life where instead of paying for stuff like meals, he would draw a small quick sketch on it. Calculating the tip must have been a pain.
posted by happyroach at 6:43 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
From what I've heard, Picasso had a trick late in life where instead of paying for stuff like meals, he would draw a small quick sketch on it. Calculating the tip must have been a pain.
posted by happyroach at 6:43 PM on July 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
Whenever you see a line of cop cars flying down the street in the opposite direction you're traveling, it's only natural to think: "You know, I'm not generally a criminal kind of person, but I could probably knock over a 7-11 right now and get away with it."
That was the plan for the famous Norco Bank Robbery (set off explosion at gas main, rob bank while the authorities are distracted).
They got caught (a good samaritan spotted the burning fuse (a candle) and alerted the fire department, who extinguished it and a deputy who was to have been dozens of miles away from Norco happened to be just a few hundred yards from the bank when the robbery started).
posted by notyou at 6:44 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
That was the plan for the famous Norco Bank Robbery (set off explosion at gas main, rob bank while the authorities are distracted).
They got caught (a good samaritan spotted the burning fuse (a candle) and alerted the fire department, who extinguished it and a deputy who was to have been dozens of miles away from Norco happened to be just a few hundred yards from the bank when the robbery started).
posted by notyou at 6:44 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Apparently just chavenet, zomg and me laughing at that one.
wearing... loafers with no socks
This guy has more than one crime to answer for.
posted by nanojath at 7:00 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
wearing... loafers with no socks
This guy has more than one crime to answer for.
posted by nanojath at 7:00 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
loafers with no socks.
I'm relieved to report that my husband was not involved in this theft despite this key descriptor.
(I'm bummed to hear that White Collar is lame. I was going to add it to the Netflix queue for something mindless, decorative, and fun to watch by myself, but if it's really that bad--U-boats?--I need to look for something else, I guess.)
posted by immlass at 7:02 PM on July 6, 2011
I'm relieved to report that my husband was not involved in this theft despite this key descriptor.
(I'm bummed to hear that White Collar is lame. I was going to add it to the Netflix queue for something mindless, decorative, and fun to watch by myself, but if it's really that bad--U-boats?--I need to look for something else, I guess.)
posted by immlass at 7:02 PM on July 6, 2011
"Weinstein says the piece was insured and is valued at $200"
It's not like they can just buy a replacement... how does the concept of insurance work with irreplaceable items?
posted by joz at 7:13 PM on July 6, 2011
It's not like they can just buy a replacement... how does the concept of insurance work with irreplaceable items?
posted by joz at 7:13 PM on July 6, 2011
how does the concept of insurance work with irreplaceable items?
They could insure it for its appraised value - so it could be "replaced" with money.
posted by shivohum at 7:20 PM on July 6, 2011
They could insure it for its appraised value - so it could be "replaced" with money.
posted by shivohum at 7:20 PM on July 6, 2011
immlass,
I didn't mean to derail the thread and turn it into a White Collar discussion.
That said, I'd say go ahead and add it to your Netflix queue, especially if you can start from the first season. The first season actually is pretty good. It hooked me right from the first scene because it was (especially for the genre) relatively smart, fairly accurate, and pretty smartly written, all while depicting mature, grown-up relationships (i.e. the wife doesn't get all stupidly, stereotypically jealous when the FBI agent husband goes undercover and has to court a sexy woman) Plus it had pretty actors, nice wardrobes, fabulous sets/locations, etc. Very nice eye candy all around.
It's just that during the second season (there are threads of it in the first season, but it kicks into high gear in the second season) there is a really stupid, totally unrealistic story arc that starts to drag down the show. The individual episodes are still entertaining but the quality isn't as consistent.
This third season is having to deal with the after-effects of the big, silly story arc. The show is trying to find its feet again, but it seems to be struggling.
posted by sardonyx at 7:23 PM on July 6, 2011
I didn't mean to derail the thread and turn it into a White Collar discussion.
That said, I'd say go ahead and add it to your Netflix queue, especially if you can start from the first season. The first season actually is pretty good. It hooked me right from the first scene because it was (especially for the genre) relatively smart, fairly accurate, and pretty smartly written, all while depicting mature, grown-up relationships (i.e. the wife doesn't get all stupidly, stereotypically jealous when the FBI agent husband goes undercover and has to court a sexy woman) Plus it had pretty actors, nice wardrobes, fabulous sets/locations, etc. Very nice eye candy all around.
It's just that during the second season (there are threads of it in the first season, but it kicks into high gear in the second season) there is a really stupid, totally unrealistic story arc that starts to drag down the show. The individual episodes are still entertaining but the quality isn't as consistent.
This third season is having to deal with the after-effects of the big, silly story arc. The show is trying to find its feet again, but it seems to be struggling.
posted by sardonyx at 7:23 PM on July 6, 2011
Don't galleries usually get the valuable artwork they show insured?
Valuable artwork that is insured is a much more lucrative target for thieves; the insurance company will pay more to get the item back (no questions asked) than the thief could fence it for.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:27 PM on July 6, 2011
Valuable artwork that is insured is a much more lucrative target for thieves; the insurance company will pay more to get the item back (no questions asked) than the thief could fence it for.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:27 PM on July 6, 2011
I imagined that Universities and Colleges would be great places to steal art from. Little or no security. Doors open till all hours. There's always somebody wandering around so you don't look too suspicious walking around at night.
Now I see I had that theory all wrong.
posted by device55 at 7:33 PM on July 6, 2011
Now I see I had that theory all wrong.
posted by device55 at 7:33 PM on July 6, 2011
@joz,
It's not that you can buy a direct replacement, but that you can get an amount of money that should allow you to purchase something similar.
I don't know the fine art market well enough, but there are certainly Picasso sketches and prints for sale. Just a very brief search turns up this later work and this very early figurative sketch.
I have no idea what these drawing are worth. I don't even know if they are in the same ballpark as the stolen piece -- if I had to guess I'd say that later one is a lot pricier than the one that was stolen, while the more figurative one is on the cheaper end of the scale, and therefore could be more comparable price-wise.
As said above, given Picasso's output, I'm guessing the gallery could find something in similar style in its price range.
posted by sardonyx at 7:51 PM on July 6, 2011
It's not that you can buy a direct replacement, but that you can get an amount of money that should allow you to purchase something similar.
I don't know the fine art market well enough, but there are certainly Picasso sketches and prints for sale. Just a very brief search turns up this later work and this very early figurative sketch.
I have no idea what these drawing are worth. I don't even know if they are in the same ballpark as the stolen piece -- if I had to guess I'd say that later one is a lot pricier than the one that was stolen, while the more figurative one is on the cheaper end of the scale, and therefore could be more comparable price-wise.
As said above, given Picasso's output, I'm guessing the gallery could find something in similar style in its price range.
posted by sardonyx at 7:51 PM on July 6, 2011
Aside from the obvious point of depriving all mankind of an irreplaceable work of art -- there's a certain romanticism to an art theft which I quite admire and enjoy. So long as no-one gets hurt, of course.
Still, buddy has yet to graduate to the level of a proper 'art heist', instead of a mere walk-and-grab theft.
I wish him well in his future endeavours.
posted by Capt. Renault at 8:10 PM on July 6, 2011
Still, buddy has yet to graduate to the level of a proper 'art heist', instead of a mere walk-and-grab theft.
I wish him well in his future endeavours.
posted by Capt. Renault at 8:10 PM on July 6, 2011
It's small, it's not particularly notable, and Picasso drawings aren't exactly scarce.
Yeah, possibly apocryphal, but isn't Picasso the guy who, late in his career, would pay for expensive dinners with a quick sketch on a napkin?
posted by killdevil at 8:43 PM on July 6, 2011
Yeah, possibly apocryphal, but isn't Picasso the guy who, late in his career, would pay for expensive dinners with a quick sketch on a napkin?
posted by killdevil at 8:43 PM on July 6, 2011
killdevil, possibly apocryphal too, but I have a late friend, an artist, who claimed to have been the recipient of Picasso's largesse in that fashion in the early 70s. They'd been to lunch, ate whole fish, took the plate and fish skeleton back to the studio and scattered glaze over the skeleton leaving an outline, he signed it, fired it, gave it to my friend a few hours later as a memento. This story was told to me in the late 80s, so I wouldn't swear on a stack of bibles about it.
posted by wilful at 9:34 PM on July 6, 2011
posted by wilful at 9:34 PM on July 6, 2011
He seemed to embrace my "smoking weed in public" strategy of just being so completely brazen and nonchalant that nobody would even question what you're doing.
When I was in med school in DC, we used to get our kicks walking down embassy row, or sitting on the steps of The National Cathedral, or going to some stuffy Georgetown cocktail party doing exactly this.
"Don't worry man, we're surrounded by an improbability field."
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:36 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
When I was in med school in DC, we used to get our kicks walking down embassy row, or sitting on the steps of The National Cathedral, or going to some stuffy Georgetown cocktail party doing exactly this.
"Don't worry man, we're surrounded by an improbability field."
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:36 PM on July 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Guy's an asshole. Something Pablo Picasso was never called.
I'm sure the ex-wives had a few words saved up.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:46 PM on July 6, 2011
I'm sure the ex-wives had a few words saved up.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:46 PM on July 6, 2011
"Don't worry man, we're surrounded by an improbability field."
I believe you mean a Somebody Else's Problem field.
And while I'm being pedantic, it's Neal Caffrey, not Neal Cafferty. And although the plots of White Collar are frequently unbelievable, that's totally not the draw of the show for me. It's thehot homoeroticism awesome character interactions.
posted by threeturtles at 10:54 PM on July 6, 2011
I believe you mean a Somebody Else's Problem field.
And while I'm being pedantic, it's Neal Caffrey, not Neal Cafferty. And although the plots of White Collar are frequently unbelievable, that's totally not the draw of the show for me. It's the
posted by threeturtles at 10:54 PM on July 6, 2011
ARGH. Link closing fail...... Falling on my sword in 3...2...
posted by threeturtles at 10:55 PM on July 6, 2011
posted by threeturtles at 10:55 PM on July 6, 2011
It's not like they can just buy a replacement... how does the concept of insurance work with irreplaceable items?
How does life insurance work?
posted by stebulus at 11:22 PM on July 6, 2011
How does life insurance work?
posted by stebulus at 11:22 PM on July 6, 2011
stebulus, I think that's a false analogy. Life insurance is a bit different from insuring priceless art. The purpose is to insure your potential future income for your beneficiaries, so e.g. your children aren't financially disadvantaged by your premature death.
wrt insuring property, I can see the value of insuring a house, or car. If they are destroyed you can build or buy a replacement.
I can't see how if you own some irreplaceable art work, how an insurance claim would give that back to you. Hence my questioning of the purpose of art insurance. I'm sure there is a reason, I just don't know about it and was curious.
posted by joz at 12:01 AM on July 7, 2011
wrt insuring property, I can see the value of insuring a house, or car. If they are destroyed you can build or buy a replacement.
I can't see how if you own some irreplaceable art work, how an insurance claim would give that back to you. Hence my questioning of the purpose of art insurance. I'm sure there is a reason, I just don't know about it and was curious.
posted by joz at 12:01 AM on July 7, 2011
so e.g. your children aren't financially disadvantaged by your premature death.
Ok. Likewise, as the owner of an irreplaceable piece of art, I wish to be not financially disadvantaged by its prematurely leaving my possession. Just as life insurance ameliorates the loss of the future income from the insured person's labor, so insurance against the theft of artwork ameliorates the loss of the income from a future sale of the insured artwork. It seems exactly the same to me. Not really an analogy at all, just two examples of the same thing.
posted by stebulus at 2:09 AM on July 7, 2011
Ok. Likewise, as the owner of an irreplaceable piece of art, I wish to be not financially disadvantaged by its prematurely leaving my possession. Just as life insurance ameliorates the loss of the future income from the insured person's labor, so insurance against the theft of artwork ameliorates the loss of the income from a future sale of the insured artwork. It seems exactly the same to me. Not really an analogy at all, just two examples of the same thing.
posted by stebulus at 2:09 AM on July 7, 2011
Lefty O’Douls faced fire from police after it released the video footage to both the media and police. Cops said the release could have prompted the crook to flee the region.
Wouldn't the cops have released at least a still from the footage themselves? But yeah, I can see how they'd want to maybe work for a few days on other leads without tipping off the thief to the existence of the video. Note to self: when trying to help police, maybe check in with police before making evidence public.
posted by mediareport at 2:53 AM on July 7, 2011
Wouldn't the cops have released at least a still from the footage themselves? But yeah, I can see how they'd want to maybe work for a few days on other leads without tipping off the thief to the existence of the video. Note to self: when trying to help police, maybe check in with police before making evidence public.
posted by mediareport at 2:53 AM on July 7, 2011
Picasso? Not an asshole? Doesn't misogyny (towards the middle) make you an asshole?
Also, yes to providing free art to the public, no to doing it on Union Square. Homie was probably a goddamned French tourist.
posted by Mooseli at 2:53 AM on July 7, 2011
Also, yes to providing free art to the public, no to doing it on Union Square. Homie was probably a goddamned French tourist.
posted by Mooseli at 2:53 AM on July 7, 2011
Came here for the Thomas Crowne brazenness, stayed for the Modern Lovers references.
posted by longbaugh at 5:29 AM on July 7, 2011
posted by longbaugh at 5:29 AM on July 7, 2011
Should be easy enough to nab the unsub within the hour. All the authorities need to do is ask the computer to enhance the stills from Lefty's. With the enhanced image they can cross reference against all art history graduation photos for, say, the last 10 years. From there they should get a list of about four folks. Skip the first two because they'll be red herrings and just go directly to the third one on the list. They can find him easy enough by triangulating his cell phone. He may or may not have left the phone in the park, but if he has, they'll be able to find him by matching some dirt found at the crime scene to a unique patch of ground near a coffee shop on Castro. Either way, bring him in to the station and keep him in a grey interview room for about five minutes. Ask him some question about his art-school-denigrating father figure and he'll crack, confessing to the crime and giving the authorities the location of the stolen artwork. The confession can be confirmed by testing some DNA on the recovered artwork and matching it to the perp.
posted by Fezboy! at 6:00 AM on July 7, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by Fezboy! at 6:00 AM on July 7, 2011 [4 favorites]
To clarify: John Cale - Pablo Picasso yt
To clarify, Jonathan Richman - Pablo Picasso (JR wrote it and recorded it before Cale, though Cale's version was released first)
posted by aught at 6:28 AM on July 7, 2011
To clarify, Jonathan Richman - Pablo Picasso (JR wrote it and recorded it before Cale, though Cale's version was released first)
posted by aught at 6:28 AM on July 7, 2011
Yeah, I was surprised it was valued at such a high amount.
And fully insured. And so easily stolen. Hmmm.
posted by IndigoJones at 6:53 AM on July 7, 2011
And fully insured. And so easily stolen. Hmmm.
posted by IndigoJones at 6:53 AM on July 7, 2011
What a perfect day to turn the color of an avocado.
posted by I love you more when I eat paint chips at 10:28 AM on July 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by I love you more when I eat paint chips at 10:28 AM on July 7, 2011 [1 favorite]
Thirty-one-year-old Mark Lugo of Hoboken, N.J., was arrested Wednesday at a hotel in Napa. He's been booked on burglary, grand theft and drug charges, and his bail is $5 million.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 12:19 PM on July 7, 2011
posted by furiousxgeorge at 12:19 PM on July 7, 2011
It was the tannin in the soil left behind at the crime scene, masked briefly by the coffee grounds in the same general area that led the police to Napa Valley and the perp. Interesting plot twist!
posted by Fezboy! at 1:27 PM on July 7, 2011
posted by Fezboy! at 1:27 PM on July 7, 2011
I'm puzzled why the guy took a taxi during his getaway and why he had the sketch three days after the robbery. You'd figure that he'd at least stash the drawing somewhere where the police couldn't find it. Supposedly he was going to FedEx it which would have left another trail for police to follow.
posted by rdr at 10:56 PM on July 7, 2011
posted by rdr at 10:56 PM on July 7, 2011
Yeah, why not take a taxi to a different hotel then the one you are staying in, at least?
posted by josher71 at 4:53 AM on July 8, 2011
posted by josher71 at 4:53 AM on July 8, 2011
Police report finding half-million dollars in stolen art, including a Picasso etching, in search of Hoboken apartment of suspect now facing charges of stealing Picasso sketch in California.
posted by fings at 2:34 PM on July 15, 2011
posted by fings at 2:34 PM on July 15, 2011
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