Two Indian Artworks Reported Stolen in Santa Fe

Oct. 25, 2004
$14,000 worth of artwork stolen in last week from gallery, trading company

SANTA FE (AP) -- Two Santa Fe galleries are the latest victims of art theft in the state's capital city.

An $11,500 Indian chief pictorial Navajo rug was stolen Wednesday from a hallway in Price-Dewey Galleries, according to a police report.

That same day, a Plains Indian child's dress made of white buckskin with beading around the neck was taken from The Spanish and Indian Trading Co., said gallery director Toba Tucker.

The item dating back to the late 19th century was priced at about $3,500, Tucker said.

Tucker always locks the front door to her gallery, personally showing every customer in and out, but said she suspects one member of a couple took the artifact while she showed the other person jewelry in another room.

Santa Fe has struggled with a number of art thefts dating back to December, including two Georgia O'Keeffe paintings from downtown museums.

An O'Keeffe valued at $500,000 to $1 million was taken Dec. 16 from the state-owned Museum of Fine Arts. It has not been recovered.

Then in January, a $500,000 O'Keeffe painting was stolen from the private Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. It was recovered and a former security guard was charged in the case.

There have been other lower profile thefts since then.