1 year on: Art raid a mystery
Theft of priceless Lindauer portraits has police baffled
Mystery still surrounds the whereabouts of two rare million-dollar masterpieces stolen during an audacious Auckland heist a year ago. Brazen ram-raiders sprayed the window of Parnell’s International Art Centre with a substance designed to freeze or weaken the glass before reversing a stolen Ford Courier ute into it about 4am on April 1.
The robbers then rammed the ute into the windows for a second time, possibly damaging the two valuable artworks painted in 1884 by celebrated Bohemia-born artist Gottfried Lindauer.
High-definition CCTV footage captured a white 2016 Holden Commodore SSV, with fake number plates and fitted with a flashing light, driven by a third man, arriving shortly afterwards.
The valuable artworks haven’t been seen since and the theft appears to have police baffled.
One of the pieces — a 133-year-old portrait of Chief Ngatai-Raure — purportedly surfaced for sale on the dark web late last year.
But art crime experts spoken to by the Herald have analysed the listing, which had a buy-now price of nearly $1 million, payable in bitcoin, and declared it a fake.
It is possible the Lindauers were whisked overseas for sale, according to the world’s top art sleuth, Christopher Marinello, but he also warned there was a chance they could still be hidden in New Zealand.
“Usually, thieves try to ‘cash out’ as quickly as possible,” said the London-based art detective who helped recover a billion-dollar hoard of Nazi loot in Munich in 2012.
“The relatively quick response by the police and media rendered these paintings radioactive or unable to sell openly,” he said.
“It is possible these were smuggled out of New Zealand once the press coverage took over but moving stolen artwork is always risky and these might still be in New Zealand.”
Gangs or career criminals could have been behind the theft, trading the paintings for drugs, guns, money, or even as leverage in the event they are arrested for another crime.
University of Canterbury criminologist Greg Newbold says the paintings would be difficult to unload.
“It could be that someone has got these very expensive paintings in storage as a useful bargaining tool,” he told the Herald earlier.
“Say you’re involved in a criminal enterprise, importing methamphetamine say, having the Lindauer paintings would be a pretty good bargaining chip if you’re picked up.”
Police are saying little about their investigation. In response to a series of questions last week by the Herald, the response read: “Our investigation into this matter is ongoing and we are unable to comment any further at this time.”
International Art Centre director Richard Thomson said he had had no updates lately.
“It was a lot more sophisticated than has been recorded,” he said previously. “We have very high security. Some things you just don’t see coming.”
The dark web auction, posted by an anonymous seller going by the handle Diabolo, claimed the portrait was “100% genuine” and that the painting would be shipped in a wooden box within four days of the auction closing.
Jim Wheeler, chief executive of London-based ReSolve Cyber, says the dark web auction site has now been taken down.