$40K in art stolen from Victoria gallery in suspected targeted theft
The owner of an art gallery in Victoria thinks a theft that occurred on Boxing Day was a targeted heist.
In less than two minutes, a lone man broke into the business and grabbed three small carvings valued at more than $40,000 combined.
Security video from inside the Madrona Gallery shows a man smash his way into the business carrying multiple duffel bags on Monday morning.
"They clearly knew what they were doing," said Michael Warren, director of the gallery.
The thief made out with three Inuit stone carvings weighing an estimated 14 kilograms each.
Warren says he thinks the theft was far more than a smash and grab and that the three works were specifically targeted.
"It didn't seem like a crime of opportunity," he said. "It was a beeline for those specific pieces."
Warren says the thief passed by other works in the gallery that have higher price tags.
Chris Lewis, CTV News' public safety analyst and a former commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, says art theft in Canada is rare – and when crimes related to art do occur, they often go unsolved.
"There's not a lot of expertise in Canada on art theft," said Lewis.
He noted that Canada's largest art theft, which occurred in 1972 and involved three men stealing $2-million worth of art pieces from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, was never solved.
Often times the works end up in someone's private collection and are never returned to their rightful owners, Lewis says.
"Sometimes police stumble across stolen property like art and get it returned to the lawful owner and many times not," he said.
Still, the Madrona Gallery is not giving up hope about retrieving the three statues.
Warren is asking anyone with information to speak with the art gallery or the Victoria Police Department, which is investigating the theft.
"You know, what I would love is if anybody has any information to contact the gallery," he said. "We’re offering a $1,000 reward per piece on their return, no questions asked."
The three stolen art pieces can be found below:
One of the three stolen art pieces is shown. Dancing Bear by Pauta Saila. Value $30,000 according to the Madrona Gallery. (Submitted)
One of the three stolen art pieces is shown. Holding a Stone by Oviloo Tunnillie. Value $12,000 according to the Madrona Gallery. (Submitted)
One of the three stolen art pieces is shown. Large Owl by Kupapik Ningeocheak. Value $1,500 according to the Madrona Gallery. (Submitted)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks beat Oilers 5-4 in comeback to take Game 1
The Vancouver Canucks won the first game of their NHL playoffs series with the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 on Wednesday night coming back from a three-goal deficit.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.