Crafty Cat Burglar Robs UWS Museum, Twice!

The Nicholas Roerich Museum on West 107th Street near Riverside Drive has been robbed of two of its artworks (whilst the fat cats at the Guggenheim have people trying to give them art!). The Russian masterpieces were swiped off the walls at separate times, without anyone witnessing the act. The NY Post reports that a police officer first noticed a missing work when he was visiting on June 24th, seeing a label on the wall with no painting above it. Turns out it was a $20,000 sketch by Russian artist Roerich, circa the 1930s. Four days later an employee noticed another work went missing in the same hallway, this time a 70,000 painting. The paper reports that the NYPD has "few clues in the thefts, and surveillance video of the hallway has yielded little information." With an average of 25 visitors a day, could this be an inside job?

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By Jen Carlson in News on August 5, 2009 11:40 AM

Comments [rss]

maevemealone

My first read of the headline had me thinking that a cat had burgled the museum... I'm putting more coffee on now.

Peter

How in the world does it stay in business?

Snoopy

By turning off the lights when no one is in the museum.

There are a lot of museums that basically are only tax shelters for the donors. 25 visitors a day for a "where does this shit come from" type of art museum seems high. The only people that go to that type of museum are tourists that are lost.

amethystdeceiver

Dude you are a moron. Roerich was an amazing artist and writer, do a little research before talking shit. Anyway, this whole thing is sad, very much hoping the museum can get the paintings back.

Snoopy

Actually I was wrong his work looks more like early unblended Bob Ross paintings. Lacking the happy little clouds.

Snoopy

Are you just stupid or don't know art from illustration? His stuff looks like poster art for some defunct Tibetan Airline.

valeriob

Everyone knows that museums typically have a small % of their art out for showing. Not likely an inside job, they would go for the things in the basement so that no one would notice they're missing for years.

John Del Signore

If this kind of thing results in a greater appreciation for Hudson Hawk, I'm all for it.

JenChungsBaby

Sounds brilliant. A museum with few employees and barely any visitors, you can probably grab lots of stuff without being seen. Only question is whether you can unload it.