Rare Salvador Dalí Piece Stolen From San Francisco Gallery in Broad Daylight
WOAH
A rare Salvador Dalí etching was stolen from a San Francisco art gallery in broad daylight, news station KTVU reports. The etching, called The Burning Giraffe, is said to be worth around $20,000 and is known to be one of Dalí's most important pieces from the 1960s. The theft occurred around 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Dennis Rae Fine Art Gallery. In surveillance video, a man in a blue shirt and a baseball cap is seen walking out of the gallery and along the sidewalk with the piece in-hand. The gallery's associate director, Rasjad Hopkins, said he turned away for just a moment before noticing the etching was missing. “I turned my back to do something or talk to somebody. I was in the back of the gallery and when I turned back, it was gone. Bam. Just like that,” he said. Hopkins said he was only 20 feet away from the piece when it was nabbed, and the piece is normally secured with a cord. It is unclear why the Dalí etching was not secured during the theft. The gallery has reported the theft to police. “I was upset. I couldn't sleep last night. I felt so bad about it,” Hopkins said.