Bizarre, Criminal law

A Man Walks Into An Irish Bar Carrying A Rare Picasso . . .

No it’s not another bar joke. This picture is from Lefty O’Doul’s in San Francisco and the man in question appears to be the culprit in a bold theft of Picasso’s 1965 drawing entitled “Tete de Femme.” The man simply walked into the Weinstein Gallery and walked out with the valuable drawing. He proceeded to hail a cab and disappear — but not before passing in front of Lefty O’Doul’s.

The picture was caught by the external security camera and police are now looking for the man. He is described as “a white man about 6 feet tall, between 32 and 35 years old, wearing a dark jacket, light shirt, dark pants, loafers with no socks, and large sunglasses.” Oh yea, and he is carrying a Picasso.

My question is why the museum doesn’t have a security photo. Does it rely on all thieves stopping by the Irish bar on their way out?

UPDATE: The man has been arrested. He is Mark Lugo of New Jersey.

Source: NBC

17 thoughts on “A Man Walks Into An Irish Bar Carrying A Rare Picasso . . .”

  1. @rcambell
    I generally assume the reading skills of the posters here to be above a 2nd grade level

    Here is what I wrote:
    “Given the quality of the photo it is hard to determine but he looks like he quite possibly is of african or middle eastern descent”

    Here is your quite obviously illiterate response:
    “Unfortunately for poster, Enrico Portofuomo , it seems he’s neither African or Middle Eastern. Perhaps Mr Portofuomo will do better in our consolation round.”

    Please feel free to point out where I stated the person was in fact either of those ethnicities rather than stating that the picture made it appear that there was a possibility that the ethnicity stated in the police release was as with the other points that quite obviously did not match.

    Keep point, cupcake, “Hard to determine”

  7. The video from Lefty’s O’Doul’s got the guy caught. His name is mark Lugo from Hoboken, NJ. Unfortunately for poster, Enrico Portofuomo , it seems he’s neither African or Middle Eastern. Perhaps Mr Portofuomo will do better in our consolation round.

  8. yesmyliege, just a couple more months ’till Talk Like A Pirate Day, Septembaaaar 19th. 🙂

  9. wsac

    All tongue in cheek, tho I do like talking like a pirate. 🙂

  10. But the small-minded will call him a “thief”. As if, measured against the sands of time, “possession” or “value” has any significant meaning anyway.

    ——————–
    ?

    you mean the civil-minded and living? …you have made me cranky and I suspect you are of a fiendish pirate nature…and think that pirates are ‘cool’….

  12. Veni vidi vici

    The man came in, saw what he liked, and took it. Admirable if it involves slaughter and pillage on a grand scale.

    But the small-minded will call him a “thief”. As if, measured against the sands of time, “possession” or “value” has any significant meaning anyway.

  13. I’m not so sure the guy didn’t do the gallery a favor by taking this scribbling on a note pad paper off their walls. Oops, my never-saw-the-art-in-Picasso is showing.

  14. sarath,

    Since Picasso died in 1973, I’m thinking his mandatory and discretionary spending has dropped to zero. However, since at that time of his death, he was one of the wealthiest artists in the world, should he require coins to pay the Ferryman, I’m betting he’s got it covered. In most circumstances, I would say that if Picasso needed a Picasso to sell that it would surely be easier to make one than to steal one, but this guy seems to have found a very easy method of stealing art.

  15. “a white man about 6 feet tall, between 32 and 35 years old, wearing a dark jacket, light shirt, dark pants, loafers with no socks, and large sunglasses.”

    1. Those are VERY light pants.
    2. He is not wearing sunglasses of any size.
    3. Given the quality of the photo it is hard to determine but he looks like he quite possibly is of african or middle eastern descent.

  16. Seems both are suffering…Somebody that would actually take one of these is in dire need of help…the artist himself…well…he did…

Comments are closed.