A Pittsburgh Art Heist– G. David Thompson
Written by Elizabeth Kay
In June of 1961, art curator G. David Thompson was going out to dinner with his wife, thinking nothing of it. But when he got back, he was met with quite a shock– 10 paintings, wiped from his house, and more damaged.
G. David Thompson lived in Pittsburgh, his house decorated with countless paintings, sculptures, and other works of art he’d been collecting for years. This robbery had left him and his collection shaken, as his collection was established and expanding. But thankfully, the paintings were found and restored, and Thompson had taken them to a local photo house to document the damage. Those photographs haven’t been seen by many– until now.
Photo Courtesy of Patrick McArdle.
Many of the paintings stolen from G. David Thompson’s collection were painted by Pablo Picasso. This one is titled TETE (BLUE BONE), and was recovered by Thompson after the robbery. You can see the two compared, the photo on the left being the photo Thompson took to assess any damage to the painting, which was later restored to the version on the right.
Photo Courtesy of Patrick McArdle.
This painting by Fernand Léger was also stolen from Thompson’s home, and the damage is visible in the photo of it on the right, taken after the robbery. The bottom right corner, which is where Léger signed his work, can be seen torn off– this was later restored, as seen in the documentation of the painting in the photo on the left.
These are two of the other Picasso pieces taken from his home, which were later retrieved, as documented by the photographs by Thompson himself.
Before his death, Thompson gave much of the work he collected to the Carnegie Museum of Art, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, and many other museums around the world. However, his generous contributions to these museums were almost gone from his hands, before the robbers were found at a local motel. Gaining these paintings back saved him millions of dollars, and he continued his life collecting works and keeping them right here in Pittsburgh.
Photo Courtesy of Patrick McArdle.
