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One Dutch art dealer is certainly having a blue period after a plate crafted by Pablo Picasso was straight-up snatched from his booth overnight at Art Miami.
The 16.5-inch silver plate, dubbed Visage aux Mains and made in 1956, is worth around $85,000. Its small size may have made it an exceptionally easy piece to swipe.
According to the Miami Herald, the plate was hanging at the booth of the Leslie Smith Gallery at the midtown fair. Owner David Smith said he left the fair last night at 8:30 and the plate was still in place. It was also there when a security guard walked through at 10:30 p.m.
But when Smith arrived around 10:45 this morning, he noticed the piece was gone.
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“I’ve been doing art shows all my life. Even when I was a kid, I went with my parents,” Smith told the Herald. “I’ve never, ever had anything stolen.”
The Miami Police Department is investigating, and the piece will be reported stolen to an international art database.
Art Miami says they have all the names and information of everyone who was allowed into the fair after hours.
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