[CPProt.net] Gilroy artist needs help finding stolen artwork

[Museum Security Network / Cultural Property Protection Net (Ton Cremers)]

Gilroy artist needs help finding stolen artwork

Monday, May 23, 2005

By Lori Stuenkel 
 
These seven pieces and three others were stolen from Old City Hall in Gilroy
sometime between November 2004 and May 9, 2005. 
Photo by: Special to The Dispatch
(http://www.gilroydispatch.com/printer/article.asp?c=159547)

Gilroy - A Gilroy artist is searching for 10 pieces of photography and
artwork she says were stolen out of Old City Hall after a restaurant in the
building closed its doors.

Peggy Dean says 10 of her original pieces that were displayed inside Old
City Hall have disappeared, while several others were left behind. The value
of the missing artwork is about $7,000, she said.

Dean discovered last week her artwork was stolen, despite no other evidence
of a break-in at the building, she said.

Most of the missing pieces of art are black and white photographs that Dean
hand-colored in oil. She printed up a flier to distribute that has images of
seven of the photos, including three with flowers, one of a mother and
daughter on a beach, one of Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy and his wife at
their wedding, one of masks hanging in front of a window, and one of two
small children standing on a dirt road.

"They were very personal and very time-consuming to do," Dean said. "I'm not
just a part-time photographer or artist, this is my living."

Dean displayed the art in a restaurant inside Old City Hall owned by Glen
Gurries, to feature the local artist and possibly sell some of the pieces.
She hung them up in September and said she went by the restaurant after
Christmas to pick them up, and the restaurant was closed, out of business.

Over the next few months, Dean said, she repeatedly called Gurries to remove
the artwork, but never received a call back. After stopping by Old City Hall
each Monday, on her final visit last week, Gurries was there along with Jim
Angelopoulos, who is planning to open a new restaurant there. It was then
that she discovered the missing photos, which were all framed and about
24-by-30 inches in size.

"Nobody ever told me they were gone, it was just total irresponsibility,"
Dean said.

Gurries contends that Dean called about picking up her photos, but never
contacted him again. He confirmed that nothing else from the restaurant was
taken and there was no evidence of a break-in.

"Maybe somebody left a courtyard door open and somebody jumped a fence or
something and got in," Gurries said.

The restaurant contained some costly wines and liquor that weren't touched,
he said.

"It's really odd," Gurries said. "There's a lot of things for them to take,
and they take artwork. Maybe they thought that that was a quick in and out."

As for not contacting Dean about the theft, Gurries said he didn't notice
that the artwork was missing.

Dean is asking that anyone with information about her art contact the Gilroy
Police Department, where she filed a report, or herself.

Angelopoulos is moving ahead with his plans to open a tropical-themed
Mexican restaurant called "Chips N' Salsa" in the building next month.

Gilroy police can be reached at 846-0350. Dean can be reached at 842-0299.

 
 Lori Stuenkel
Lori Stuenkel covers crime and public safety for The Dispatch. You can reach
her at lstuenkel at gilroydispatch.com.