Florence Resnikoff’s “Reversible Marine Necklace” (1975) was among the items stolen. (all images courtesy Oakland Museum of California)
Four days before the Louvre heist catapulted conversations about museum security to the global stage, thieves in California snatched more than 1,000 items, including Native American artifacts, belonging to a Bay Area museum. The news of the theft was announced by local authorities yesterday, October 29, and police are now seeking tips related to the case.
In the early morning hours of October 15, an unknown number of suspects broke into an off-site storage facility housing collection items from the Oakland Museum of California, local police said yesterday, October 29. Approximately 20 investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Art Crime Team have been assigned to the case, according to the Oakland Police Department.
A spokesperson for the museum told Hyperallergic that among the items stolen were two early 20th-century cooking baskets made by unnamed Native American artists, engraved walrus tusks from the early 19th century, and three modernist silver necklaces by jeweler Florence Resnikoff.
The spokesperson said that the museum contacted the tribe affiliated with some of the stolen objects, and it was requested that the tribe’s name not be disclosed to the public.
A pair of scrimshaw walrus tusks by an unidentified artist, c. 1840, were taken from the storage unit, according to the museum.
According to its website, the museum maintains a collection of approximately two million objects related to California history, art, and environmental heritage, about 300,000 of which are on display.
The museum spokesperson told Hyperallergic that the majority of objects stolen were “memorabilia from the everyday lives of Californians, including political pins, award ribbons, souvenir tokens, and similar items.” Several daguerrotypes were also stolen in the robbery, and laptops were also taken from the storage facility, according to police.
Lori Fogarty, Oakland Museum of California executive director and CEO, characterized the theft in a press release as a “brazen act that robs the public of our state’s cultural heritage.” The majority of the stolen items had been gifted to the museum by donors, the director said.
Oakland police did not specify how many individuals were involved in the robbery or disclose the location of the storage facility.
“We believe this was a crime of opportunity, not a sophisticated heist by seasoned criminals,” the museum spokesperson told Hyperallergic in an email.
The Oakland Police Department said this afternoon that there have been no developments in the case since the agency announced its investigation into the theft. The FBI is soliciting tips from the public.
