A thief or group of thieves stole more than 1,000 objects from the off-site storage facility of the Oakland Museum of California (OCMA) during an early-morning break-in this month. The heist took place at 3.30am on 15 October, and OCMA workers discovered the robbery the following day. Items taken include Modernist jewellery, Native American baskets, daguerreotypes, historical scrimshaw and a range of more contemporary everyday objects like political pins, trophies and souvenirs.
OCMA’s director and chief executive, Lori Fogarty, tells The Art Newspaper that the objects were insured and the theft is now being investigated by both the Oakland Police Department and the FBI’s Art Crime Team, in collaboration with the museum and the city of Oakland.
Florence Resnikoff's Reversible Marine Necklace (1975) is one of several necklaces by Resnikoff stolen in this month's robbery Courtesy Oakland Museum of California
“We believe this was a crime of opportunity, and that the thieves did not necessarily even know they were breaking into a museum storage facility,” Fogarty says. “They literally took what they could carry back out without going through a door.”
The most significant and valuable objects taken are the Native American baskets—all of which originate from a single tribe that the museum is in regular contact with and which has asked not to be identified—and the Modernist jewellery.
“We are in touch with the tribe on a regular basis to discuss repatriation and other issues,” Fogarty says. “They were the first people we contacted” after discovering the robbery.
A basket by an unidentified artist that was taken in the 15 October robbery Courtesy Oakland Museum of California
The museum and law-enforcement agencies investigating the theft believe the stolen objects may begin turning up at pawn shops, antique stores, swap meets and other second-hand stores. They hope that by publicising the theft and sharing information about what was taken, locals might recognise objects and contact the relevant authorities.
OCMA’s collection, which is owned and held in trust by the city of Oakland, includes more than two million objects, a majority of which are stored at the facility that was robbed, Fogarty says. As a result, the museum has “immediately beefed up security”, she adds, hardening the structure and adding more surveillance cameras, among other steps. “This is not just a loss for the museum; it’s a loss for our whole community.”
The robbery at OCMA’s storage facility took place a few days before another very high-profile museum robbery almost 9,000km to the east at the Musée du Louvre. None of the objects taken in that heist were insured or have been recovered, though around a half-dozen suspects have been arrested.
