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• From: "Mike Mentuck"
  
  To:
  
  Subject: Spam: Legs Folded
  
  Date: Friday, March 21, 2008 12:35 PM
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  March 21, 2008
  
  
  
  LEGS FOLDED FOUND
  
  After being stolen from an Art Show in Reston, VA the Marc Sijan Lifelike Sculpture "Legs Folded" has been found. Please see article below:
  
  
  
  Tip Leads Police to Stolen Statue
  
  Police found $38,000 statue stolen from a Reston Town Center while searching for other stolen goods in Herndon apartment.
  
  by Brian McNeill
  
  June 9, 2004
  
  
  
  FCPD Photo
  
  Wisconsin artist Marc Sijan's statue of a bikini-clad woman was stolen on May 30 fom Reston Town Center, but recovered by police last Thursday.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Following a tip from his property manager, Fairfax County police found in a Herndon man's apartment a statue stolen from a Reston arts festival, amidst a cache of other allegedly stolen items, including power tools, camping equipment, musical instruments and golf clubs.
  
  The statue of a bikini-clad woman, titled "Legs Crossed" and worth an estimated $38,000, was taken from the Northern Virginia Arts Festival at Reston Town Center on Sunday, May 30. Witnesses told police they saw a man carrying the statue through the crowd, but assumed he had bought the sculpture.
  
  A massive hunt ensued, with Fairfax County police searching through the afternoon crowd at the festival while the police helicopter watched for the suspect from above.
  
  But the search for the pilfered statue was fruitless and police were left with no leads in the case, said Bud Walker, a Fairfax County Police public information officer.
  
  Then, last Thursday, police served a search warrant at the home of Michael Star, 45, to find roughly 30 items he had allegedly stolen from in and around the Archstone Apartments complex on Rolling Fork Circle Drive in Herndon.
  
  Police found the stolen statue inside Star's apartment, along with a long list of other goods he had allegedly stolen from his neighbors' apartments and cars, including a Yamaha keyboard, a circular saw, a cordless drill, a car battery, a Palm Pilot, a red Coleman lantern and a red golf bag filled with Callaway golf clubs.
  
  Investigators were led to the apartment by Star's property manager, who had noticed the items while checking on his apartment earlier in the week after he had been arrested on other charges.
  
  Star had been arrested on May 30, for an incident two days earlier, for disorderly conduct and assault and battery. And on Wednesday, he was arrested again for huffing what police believe was paint and for allegedly concealing or altering the price of merchandise last November.
  
  Star was charged with grand larceny and is being held without bail at the Fairfax Adult Detention Center.
  
  Walker said additional charges are expected to be filed in the case.
  
  
  
  MARC SIJAN, the sculpture's artist, said he is thankful his work had been recovered, but had been told by police that is was damaged beyond repair. It was found covered in a lotion-type substance and had at least one hole in its body, he said.
  
  "Once you deface that surface, there's not much you can do," Sijan said, in a telephone interview from his Wisconsin art studio. "It was a sensitive painting on a 3-D canvas."
  
  Sijan said "Legs Crossed" took him 6 months of meticulous painting and sculpture, often using a magnifying class to add realistic details, such as fingerprints, moles and veins.
  
  He said he was as surprised that his statue had been recovered as he had surprised it was stolen in the first place.
  
  "I picture myself in Louvre, and someone picks up a Van Gogh and starts walking off with it," he said. "Everybody watching stands there in awe, thinking 'Huh. That guys taking a Van Gogh. He must work here or something.'"
  
  The rest of the story:
  
  Although recovered, "Legs Folded" had been abused by the culprit and she suffered a badly broken arm. Obviously Artist Sijan had the sculpture insured and because of the damage he filed a claim with his insurance company. After investigating the matter the insurance company paid the claim in the amount of $38,000.00 and they turned the sculpture over to us for salvage sale.
  
  
  
  We had her professionally crated and shipped to our warehouse in Salem, MA for salvage sale. Initially we thought the sale would be easy and we discussed the sale with several collectors of Marc Sijan's works including Walt Disney World Executive Michael Eisner. Because of the damage the collectors shied away from making any reasonable offers. Our only alternative was to have "Legs Folded" professionally repaired and then to offer her up for salvage sale.
  
  
  
  We approached Mr. Sijan and asked if he either wanted to buy her back or repair her for us. Since he had collected his insurance claim money he had no interest in either buying or fixing her. After many months of trying to find the right artist to repair her broken arm, we settled in upon an artist who we felt could do the job properly. We think we were right in our choice and as you will see from the pictures Legs Folded is now perfectly repaired and worthy of your consideration for purchase & display.
  
  Before Restoration:
  
  
  
  
  
  A real chunk taken out of her right arm. In addition to being a thief and a bit weird this guy must have dropped her sometime while she was with him! The after photo really shows how the restoration guy fixed her up even down to the freckles and moles.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After Restoration:
  
  
  
  
  
  She is now ready for salvage sale with full disclosure of her past history. Should you want to own a real piece of collectible art at a reasonable price, now is your chance. We are negotiating with an interested Art Gallery in San Francisco but if that doesn't work she will be up for grabs on E-Bay or some other auction venue.
  
  
  
  Contact me for further details and more pictures:
  
  
  
  Mike Mentuck
  
  Michael A. Mentuck & Associates, Inc.
  
  1 Jefferson Avenue
  
  Salem, MA 01970
  
  
  
  1-800-245-9629
  
  E-Mail mikem@salvor.com
  
  

  Mike Mentuck posted 16 years ago

• awesome

  terry west posted 16 years ago