City Reports Sculpture Theft

Feb 2, 2021 – Over the weekend, the City received reports of the disappearance of a sculpture from the Greta Hackett Outdoor Sculpture Gallery, located on Sunset Highway in Town Center. A heavy bronze four-foot-wide sculpture by Louise McDowell, known as Counterpoint, was forcibly removed from its metal base, and apparently dragged away. The City insures all works of art in the outdoor gallery and the public art collection, and the monetary loss will be covered.

The Mercer Island Police Department is investigating the case and asks any Island resident with potential leads to contact MIPD Detectives. It is believed that cast metal sculptures are attractive for their significant scrap metal value, even though metal recyclers are required to question customers presenting this type of item.

According to the City’s Arts Liaison Sarah Bluvas, “This is unfortunately not the first time we’ve had problems with artwork damage or theft. Over the past 6 months, there have been three incidents, most recently including the attempted removal of another even larger bronze sculpture at the former Farmers Insurance Property in late November.”

“These thefts are tremendously frustrating for the entire community, and we are actively pursuing additional measures to secure other City sculptures. I encourage all Islanders to visit our public art collection frequently and help us keep a watchful eye on these important community assets.”

The community is asked to contact the MIPD's anonymous crime tip line at (206) 275-7955 if they have information about either crime, or call the City’s non-emergency dispatch number at (425) 577-5756 if they notice anything out-of-the-ordinary at any art installation.