An approximately 300-pound, five-foot tall sculpture made of three-quarter-inch steel was reported stolen Wednesday by the owner of a new art gallery in downtown Oxford.
The sculpture, valued at $600, was last seen on the sidewalk facing the southwest parking lot in back of Margot’s Gallery and Frame located at 5 S. Washington, according to a report filed with the Oxford Village Police Department.
The sculpture was placed behind the gallery on Saturday, Feb. 8 for decorative and advertisement purposes.
A contractor working on the interior of the gallery reported he noticed the sculpture was missing on Feb. 12, the report stated. The contractor also told police he didn’t recall seeing the sculpture there on Feb. 11 either.
Gallery owner Margot VanHorn, of Oxford, described the rust-colored sculpture as having a triangular shape with holes in it. She said it had hinges which allowed it to be folded in half or at a 90-degree angle. “It was an outdoor screen, like to put in a garden. Or used as a trellis,” she said.
VanHorn said the sculpture, created by artist Scott Brazeau, sat outside her gallery in Pontiac for a year-and-a-half without incident.
She speculated that more than one person had to be involved in the art work’s theft because it took three men to move and place it behind the gallery.
Village police have not located any witnesses or suspects at this time. It remains unknown exactly when the scultpure was stolen.
Anyone with any information about the sculpture’s whereabouts or the person(s) responsible for its theft should contact the village police at 628-2581.