A solid gold sculpture by the British artist Douglas Gordon, a winner of the Turner Prize, was stolen from a Christie's warehouse in London, the British newspaper The Guardian reported. “I don't think this is an art theft,†Mr. Gordon said. “I'm pretty sure it has been melted down.†The gold used in his work, “Left Hand and Right Hand Have Left One Another,†was worth about 250,000 pounds ($400,000), he said. The piece was insured for twice that amount.
What has further riled Mr. Gordon, however, is that Christie's did not tell him about the theft until two weeks after it occurred. “It is like someone borrowing your car, and then you finding out from a neighbor that it has been crashed,†he complained. “It looks like I am the last person to know.†A Christie's spokesman said: “This matter is under investigation and we are in contact with all parties involved. We cannot comment further.â€
The theft is an embarrassment for Christie's, whic h boasts of its storage facility's “world-class security, management and expertise.â€
