Police Nab Suspected Picasso Art Thief
N.J. man allegedly stole sketch worth $200K in broad daylight.
| Posted Thursday, July 7, 2011, at 3:29 PM
Police say they’ve arrested the man who snatched a Pablo Picasso sketch from a California art gallery in broad daylight earlier this week.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that police arrested Mark Lugo, 30, Wednesday night at a Napa hotel, where they recovered the $200,000 work of art, minus the frame, in his hotel room.
Police say that Lugo, who hails from Hoboken, N.J., was working alone and had planned to ship the drawing to an unknown party.
The sketch in question was Picasso’s 1965 “Tete de Femme,” which for those among us who opted for Spanish in high school translates to “Head of a Woman.” It was reported stolen Tuesday morning by the Weinstein Gallery in San Francisco.
A short time later, a nearby restaurant’s surveillance camera captured a man walking on the street with a frame covered by a newspaper. Police say they used that video to track down their suspect.
Lugo’s bail was set at $5 million.
Here’s a better look at the sketch:
UPDATE: A little more info on Lugo: The Chronicle reports that the alleged art thief was once the sommelier at BLT Fish in New York City, and also previously worked at the famed Per Se restaurant.
