The Eldridge Street project space of Woodward Gallery has displayed various works of street art for five years without incident. That streak came to a halt last night, when a thief lifted one of four panels by Brooklyn artist Moody sometime between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.
“Someone just helped themselves to a work of art,” Kristine Woodward told us a little while ago. “And it had to involve some planning.”
The missing panel, a riff on Absolut Vodka advertising campaigns entitled “Absolute Addict,” is mounted on a 68-inch-by-44-inch piece of plywood that was bolted to the exterior wall across the street from the gallery, which is at 133 Eldridge between Broome and Delancey. Removing it would have required a drill, at least two people and probably a car to carry it away in, said Woodward.
The piece is valued between $5,000 and $6,000, so police are treating the crime as a grand larceny. There are several surveillance cameras on the block whose footage investigators are reviewing, Woodward said. In the meantime, the gallery is offering a reward for any information about the theft. Tipsters should call 212-966-3411.
“It’s a great compliment to Moody that someone just had to have that piece,” Woodward said.
