The FBI is investigating the theft of two art pieces worth more than $100,000 that were stolen in Boulder, Colorado, while en route to Santa Fe.
The two works of art were coming from Los Angeles when employees stopped at a hotel in Boulder. While there, vandals cut the padlock on the truck and stole those two pieces and three others, along with some tools.
According to a KOB 4 News report, police said some pieces of art were left behind. Apparently, the thieves have expensive taste, because the five pieces stolen were worth $400,000.
“It’s very usual that we have vehicle break-ins, but this is the first time I’ve heard of high-end art being stolen,” Boulder detective Raul Montaño told KOB 4 News.
One painting, which sold for $38,000 at auction, depicts the Taos Pueblo. The other depicts Taos Pueblo at night and is valued at $71,000. They were headed to new owners in Santa Fe, but the paintings didn’t reach their destination.
“My reaction was like, fury. I was so upset that they had been taken,” Colleen Fanning, the prospective owners’ adviser, told KOB 4 News. “We were shocked and appalled and had no idea that something like this could even happen.”
The black market for stolen paintings is not what it used to be because of new technology that keeps track of stolen art. But there are still no leads in this case.