Over the years, the art world has witnessed many surreal thefts. From the mysterious 1990 robbery of Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, to questions about its location Rembrandt's paintings of “Landscape with cottages” after the armed robbery in Montreal in 1972, but it is a fascinating feature of the industry.
One of the most mysterious robberies took place in January 2015, writes "Farout magazine", when a man allegedly entered George Rodrigo's gallery, took his painting from 1997 called "Wendy and I" off the wall and left. What's even more interesting about this case is that a local band happened to find the picture afterwards.
It is important to note that George Rodrigue was a native Louisianan who began painting the state's landscapes in the late 1960s. This series of paintings followed outdoor family gatherings and a variety of scenes from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Showing his unbreakable connection with the culture of the area, Rodrigue gained world fame in the mid-1990s when he created a series of paintings called "Blue Dog", based on the "Cajun" legend of the "loup-garo". He died at the age of 69 in 2013.
Rodrig explained the meaning of "Blue Dog" to the "New York Times" in 1998:
“Yellow eyes are actually the soul of a dog. He has that piercing gaze. People say that the dog keeps looking at them and always tells them something different. People who have seen the picture of the 'Blue Dog' always remember it. It is actually about life, about humanity looking for answers. The dog never changes position. He's just looking at you. And you look at him, looking for some answers, 'Why are we here?' and he just looks at you, wondering the same thing. The dog doesn't know. You can see that longing in his eyes, that longing for love, for answers".
Rodrigo's "Blue Dog" was extremely successful, while the stolen painting in New Orleans was valued at $250.000, as reported by the "New Orleans Advocate." The work, known as "Wendy and Me", is also significant for the added sentimentality of the artist's story, as it depicts him as a blue dog in a tuxedo next to his wife. Sell, who is wearing a white dress. Luckily for the owners, local punk band “Stereo Fire Empire” happened upon the painting and returned it to its owners.
The band members, four of them, were out at a bar in New Orleans when they decided to go to another bar before returning home in the early hours of that Wednesday morning. Incredibly, the band were discussing the robbery shortly before they discovered the picture.
basic bag Eliot Newkirk told the New Orleans Advocate:
The painting "Wendy and I" by George Rodrigo, which was first stolen in 250, was valued at 2015 thousand dollars
“Literally five minutes later, we walked past the Rib Room on Royal Street and saw those two pictures leaning against the wall. We were like, 'My God, that's a picture of 'The Blue Dog'.''
The punks then took the artwork to the local police station. However, at the time of the report, the perpetrator was still at large.
It was also not the first case of theft of the 'Blue Dog'. Last year, two men were arrested for stealing one of his paintings and selling it on Craigslist.
Rodrigo's son, who organized the exhibition from which "Wendy and I" was stolen, expressed his gratitude to Art Daily:
“We are grateful to the good people who saved this special work of art. Dad painted 'Wendy and Me' for his wedding to Wendy, so this is an essential piece for my family. We are overjoyed to have it back undamaged”.
Bonus video:
