A sculpture of a 10-foot bright red thumbtack was stolen from the front entrance of the ATAC Art Gallery in Hickory, North Carolina, on Tuesday night.
The creator of the sculpture is local artist Hunter Speagle.
Speagle said he made the large thumbtack in 2002 out of cardboard, sheets of foam and acrylic. From end to end, the sculpture is 10 feet long and weighs around 40 pounds, Speagle said.
Hickory artist Hunter Speagle inspects what is left of his 10-foot thumbtack sculpture after a portion of the piece was taken from his art gallery.
Speagle estimates the piece is worth around $50,000 because the sculpture has been displayed in places, including Atlanta, Georgia, and Brooklyn, New York. Speagle added that the piece is priceless to him.
During one display, the thumbtack sailed down the Savannah River, Speagle said.
Speagle realized the sculpture was gone when he came to open the gallery around 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The tack is comprised of two pieces. Speagle said he found the base of the tack across the street at Dave’s Trim Shop. The top and the needle of the sculpture were nowhere to be found. The needle was pulled out of the base, Speagle said.
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“We thought, ‘Well, maybe the wind blew it,’ because it does come apart,” Speagle said. “But we scoured for everything and could not find it.” Speagle added that the wind theory did not make sense because the flowerpots that were placed in front of the sculpture were still standing.
Speagle said he had not been leaving the thumbtack outside overnight until recently. The tack had been sitting in front of the gallery since Saturday, he said.
This 10-foot red thumbtack was reported stolen from the ATAC Art Gallery on Wednesday.
“Our theory is that someone had lifted it and didn't realize it came apart,” Speagle said. “It was too big and then they ran away with just two thirds of it, which is even worse. At least they could have kept it all together.”
Speagle said he hopes the sculpture will be returned, but said his expectations are low.
The Hickory Police Department is investigating the theft. Anyone with information about the missing artwork is asked to contact Hickory police at 828-328-5551.
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