[MSN] Seatlle. A former Pioneer Square art-gallery owner who was accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of valuable art pleaded guilty on Tuesday to nine counts of first-degree theft.

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Art-gallery owner pleads guilty to theft
By Christine Clarridge

Seattle Times staff reporter

A former Pioneer Square art-gallery owner who was accused of stealing
hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of valuable art pleaded guilty on
Tuesday to nine counts of first-degree theft.

Kurt Lidtke, 41, faces between 33 and 43 months in prison when he is
sentenced in King County Superior Court on Sept. 28.

According to charging documents, Lidtke failed to pay artists and owners for
more than $340,000 worth of art that he had sold on consignment.

The art in question included many paintings by local artists Mark Tobey,
Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan and Paul Horiuchi.

The investigation of Lidtke, who ran the Kurt Lidtke Gallery, began after
artists and art owners complained that they were never paid their share of
the pieces Lidtke sold.

According to the charging papers, Lidtke was required to notify the artists
or owners of an artwork when one was sold, and then forward the payment
minus his commission. Police said in charging documents that Lidtke
frequently and intentionally failed to do so and lied about it when
confronted.

Police used bank-account records to track the sale of some of the disputed
art but about half the pieces could not be traced, according to the charging
documents.

Lidtke, who also faces Department of Revenue charges, also has been sued for
hundreds of thousands of dollars by clients and artists around the country
who said he failed to pay for, or return, valuable pieces.

He had been facing 20 counts of theft and up to 10 years in prison before he
pleaded guilty to the reduced charges.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge at seattletimes.com