Tuna sculpture recovered
‘Tuna’ sculpture recovered
A $30,000 bronze sculpture stolen from the Auckland Botanic Gardens last weekend has been recovered.
Auckland Botanic Gardens Manager Jack Hobbs says police alerted them to the find on Monday evening.
“Our team informed scrap metal merchants around the region yesterday morning and one contacted police as soon as ‘Tuna’ was brought to their yard. We appreciate their quick action on this, enabling police to start investigating straight away.
“Police are now following up with the people involved.
“Unfortunately the sculpture has been returned badly damaged and we will need to consult with the artist as to its repair.
“However, we are very grateful to have ‘Tuna’ back and are humbled by the outpouring of support over this incident from our communities,” he says.
The artwork, titled
‘Tuna’, by renowned Christchurch artist Bing
Dawe, was part of the 2013/14 Sculpture in the Gardens
exhibition and was purchased for the Gardens’ permanent
collection by the Friends of the Auckland Botanic
Gardens.
About
‘Tuna’
• By Christchurch sculptor
Bing Dawe
• Appeared in Sculpture in the
Gardens 2013-14
• Made from carved wood,
painted steel and bronze
• Bronze element is
600mm tall, mounted on a spiral turned wooden base. It
weighs 90kg.
• It was priced at $30,000 in the
exhibition and purchased by the Friends of the Auckland
Botanic Gardens at the exhibition’s opening in early
November 2013.
About the
theft
• Bolts were sawn through and
the bronze part of the sculpture was removed overnight on
Sunday 20 July.
ends