Cultural treasure feared lost forever
Written by John Williamson on 18/10/2021
Blackpool Council has revealed that a large sculpture from the Grundy Collection is feared lost after it was stolen in a night-time raid on a store two years ago.
The thieves broke into the store and took the bronze statue called The Gaucho by Walter Winans.
Police were immediately notified and the theft was registered on an international stolen art database in the hope of obtaining a quick recovery. News of the theft was not made public at the time because of the potential risk that too much attention could lead the thieves to damage the work.
The Council says that no information about its possible whereabouts has since come to light and it now fears that the statue will never be recovered.
The Gaucho, known locally as Buffalo Bill due to the likeness to the famous showman, was located in the Central Library before it went into off-site storage. Cast in bronze, the sculpture is 146 cm high, weighs approximately half a tonne and was last valued at around £15k.
It is assumed that the theft was a carefully-planned operation given the size and weight of the sculpture. It would have required a number of people to move it from the store using weight-bearing equipment and transport.
Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said today: “It is very sad that this theft has deprived Blackpool of one of its most popular collection items.
“At the time of the theft, the most important priority was to try to get it back in one piece. It was felt that the best way to achieve that was not to send out a widespread public alert in case that led to it being damaged or melted down.
“Unfortunately, after being on the international stolen art register for two years, no information has come forward. Obviously, if anyone does have any information on the theft or the whereabouts of the piece we would urge them to contact the police.”
