Massive sculptures worth $2.1 million stolen from warehouse in mysterious heist

The 2 towering sculptures comprising thousands of pounds of bronze and stainless alloy took creator and filmmaker Sir Daniel Winn much than a twelvemonth to complete.

They vanished successful a weekend.

Police judge that connected June 14 oregon 15 astatine slightest 1 thief made disconnected with some “Icarus Within” and “Quantum Mechanics: Homme,” — sculptures valued astatine a combined $2.1 cardinal — from a warehouse successful Anaheim Hills. Other artwork and valuables wrong the warehouse that would person been easier to determination were untouched. Authorities person scant details astir the heist.

“Unfortunately, we person small accusation but we are investigating,” Anaheim Police Sgt. Matt Sutter said.

The life-sized “Quantum Mechanics: Homme” artwork, composed of lucite, bronze and stainless steel, depicts a winged and horned antheral and was featured successful the award-winning abbreviated movie “Creation” successful 2022. It’s valued astatine $1.8 million.

A 2nd Winn piece, “Icarus Within,” based partially connected the sculptor’s chaotic puerility flight from Vietnam, is simply a alloy and bronze sculpture that besides stands 8 feet tall, weighs a ton, and is valued astatine $350,000.

Both sculptures were being stored successful a impermanent installation and were past seen by warehouse workers successful Anaheim Hills connected Saturday, according to the Anaheim Police Department.

When the workers returned to the installation Monday, some pieces were missing, according to police.

Winn believes the pieces whitethorn person been stolen by an unscrupulous collector portion an creation betterment adept suspects the 2 sculptures volition beryllium destroyed for scrap metal.

“Typically these sculptures, erstwhile we bash exhibitions, instrumentality astir a twelve men and 2 forklifts to determination it and a flatbed oregon a motortruck to transportation it,” Winn said. “This is not an casual task.”

Winn told The Times that the past fewer days person been stressful and that his anxiousness has been “through the roof.” Winn is considered a blue-chip artist, meaning his enactment is highly sought aft and has a precocious monetary value.

The erstwhile UC Irvine aesculapian student, who was erstwhile stateless aft switching his large from medicine to art, said helium blends good art, quantum metaphysics and doctrine into his work.

The Vietnamese exile owns the Winn Slavin Fine Art assemblage connected Rodeo Drive and was appointed earlier this period arsenic Art Commissioner for John Wayne Airport.

The nonaccomplishment of his creation has pushed Winn “to a acheronian place,” helium said, though he’s recovered immoderate catharsis successful talking astir the situation.

“These are my children,” helium said of each of his idiosyncratic works. “I person nary physical, integrated children. Every artwork I make is my child.”

The larger of 2 sculptures, “Homme,” was the seventh and lone unsold enactment successful Winn’s Quantum Mechanics series, which explores philosophical concepts, cosmopolitan truths and tries to reply the enduring question: wherefore are we here?

The smaller “Icarus Within” focused connected Winn’s conflict astir the property of 9 successful emigrating to the United States successful the last days of the Vietnam War. The sculpture was tied to Winn’s movie “Chrysalis,” based connected his memoirs, that is expected to premier this fall.

Winn said the level of sophistication successful the theft led him to fishy helium was targeted and that his pieces whitethorn beryllium connected the achromatic market.

He turned implicit a database of individuals who person precocious inquired astir his sculptures to police, helium said.

Sutter, the Anaheim Police sergeant, said this is the largest burglary he’s seen successful his 25 years with the department.

“We’ve had our stock of high-end homes that were burglarized, but this benignant of crime, involving forklifts, trucks, crews and the sheer size of the sculptures is thing I can’t retrieve america having before,” Sutter said.

Sutter said investigators are asking businesses adjacent the warehouse for immoderate footage that could assistance them place a suspect.

“I person nary thought wherever these sculptures are,” Sutter said. “They could beryllium successful somebody’s location oregon successful a shipping instrumentality somewhere. That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

Chris Marinello, laminitis of the quality solution and creation betterment work named Art Recovery International, said the sculptures volition apt beryllium scrapped for their metals.

Marinello said scrap yards teardrop isolated specified works into thousands of tiny pieces to cloak the metal’s origin.

“Unfortunately, the criminals are not that agleam and they don’t spot artwork but, instead, a sculpture worthy millions that is much invaluable to them for the earthy metals similar alloy and bronze,” Marinello said.

Marinello pointed to a two-ton Henry Moore bronze sculpture, known arsenic the Reclining Figure, stolen from the artist’s instauration successful Hertfordshire, England successful 2005.

The portion was valued astatine 3 cardinal pounds, but authorities judge it was scrapped for conscionable 1,500 pounds.

“You can’t merchantability sculptures of this magnitude connected the market,” Marinello said of the Winn’s stolen pieces.