Missing statue found in parking lot
The statue which was lost and found. Photo/Murray Head
A statue by Icelandic sculptor Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir, which had been stolen this spring from a levee bench in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the US, was found on Friday. The life-size statue of a sitting androgynous figure, which was part of Steinunn’s work “Boarders,” weighs more than 180 kg (400 lbs).
The statue is part of a 22-piece traveling exhibit, installed almost a year ago, of figures in different positions, meant to call attention to diversity. The work was originally created for the United Nations Plaza in New York. The theft was not discovered until recently, when the time had come to move the exhibit.
The statue was found in a parking lot, a short distance from where it disappeared, less than 24 hours after authorities asked the public for help retrieving it, with the assistance of the program Crime Stoppers. A tip from a motorist led to its discovery.
The statue had been vandalized, but the damage is reversible, according to wbrz.com. It appears to have been spray-painted gold. No information is available regarding who might have stolen it.
According to businessreport.com, it is suspected that recent media attention may have led the thieves to dump the statue in the nearby parking lot. Crime Stoppers will pay a reward to the motorist, whose tip led to the discovery of the statue.
