Joe Common portray stolen from reasonably priced housing constructing for senior artists
A charity that gives reasonably priced housing for senior artists is on the lookout for a precious murals that was stolen from its Vancouver constructing.
PAL Vancouver says the piece, titled Born to Pollinate, was donated to them by well-known Vancouver artist Joe Common final yr.
They’re asking anybody with details about the theft to contact them.
“Artwork is the whole lot to us, to everybody residing there … It is simply actually unhappy,” mentioned Lynn Ross, govt director of PAL Vancouver.
Safety footage exhibits a younger man and girl getting into the West Finish constructing round 8:30 p.m. PT on Thursday, gaining entry after they appeared to dial a number of buzzer numbers.
They went to the eighth ground of the constructing, the place they spent about 10 minutes. Ross mentioned footage confirmed the person sitting on a sofa whereas the girl performed piano.
Simply earlier than they left, the person took the Joe Common paintings from the wall and carried it out the entrance door.
Ross mentioned each the foyer and the eighth ground function a number of different artworks on the partitions, however the stolen piece was probably the most precious they’ve. She estimates it’s value “a number of thousand {dollars}.”
“It isn’t simply the cash. It was excellent there and so lovely and Joe means a lot to us, it is simply actually heartbreaking.”
PAL Vancouver’s Cardero constructing homes 135 folks, over half of whom are senior artists who pay not more than 33 per cent of their annual revenue to remain there.
The Vancouver Police Division mentioned it’s investigating the theft of the portray, however has not recognized the suspects but.
Not the primary Common theft
Joe Common says it is not the primary time artwork he has donated has been stolen.
Common has donated a number of items to the Dr. Peter AIDS Basis and St. Paul’s Hospital, all of which have been stolen through the years.
“I suppose it is simply what occurs, I do not know. I believe it is horrible,” he mentioned.
The Metropolis of Vancouver’s banners for the eleventh Worldwide AIDS Convention in 1996, which featured a picture Common had created, had been additionally persistently stolen.
“The mayor… got here as much as me at one in all my exhibits and he mentioned ‘Joe, you have got the doubtful distinction of getting probably the most banners stolen off of metropolis poles than another artist,'” Common mentioned.
“Stealing is dangerous … nevertheless it’s form of a praise.”
Common mentioned he’ll contact PAL Vancouver to donate one other paintings.
