A man allegedly went into a San Francisco art gallery on Sunday and left with a $20,000 Salvador Dalí etching, according to reports from the San Francisco police, who confirmed that the theft occurred between 4:40 p.m. and 5:45 p.m.
The painting, “Le Girafe en Feu” (The Giraffe on Fire), was on display on an easel at the front of the Dennis Rae Fine Art gallery and was unusually not tethered to the easel.
“The piece is one of seven original etchings from a suite of work influenced by Pablo Picasso” that is called “Tauromachie Surréaliste” (Surrealist Bullfighting), according to The New York Times.
The security camera in the gallery was not turned on the day the painting was taken, but surveillance footage from a nearby hotel shows a man in a blue hat enter the art gallery while someone waits for him outside. The man then makes his escape with the painting in his right hand, and heads towards Union Square, according to gallery co-owner David Schach.
Schach also noted the theft happened quickly while the gallery director was speaking with other customers.
“They just popped into the gallery, probably distracting one of my co-workers,” gallery director Angela Kellett told Fox News. “It was our showcase item. We have a special Salvador Dalí show right now and, yeah, they just ran off with it, too quick for anyone to do anything about it.”
Kellett said since the painting is part of a small edition of pieces, officials know what piece it is and it is now a “very hot item.”
According to CNN, in 2012, a Salvador Dalí etching that was anonymously donated to Goodwill in Washington was auctioned off online for $21,005.
It is unclear what the thief might do with the art piece. Galleries might report the stolen art piece to the authorities, while pawn shops ask for identification. The New York Times reported that the thief might even start a bidding war on eBay. As you might imagine, that could have negative impact for the criminal.
In 2004, another piece from Dalí was stolen from an art show in honor of what would have been his 100th birthday, according to Bruce Hochman, who is the proprietor of a gallery in San Juan Capistrano, California. Meanwhile, in January, a man left a gallery in Moscow carrying a $182,000 painting. Both paintings were quickly returned or recovered.