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Robbins Report

To preserve and protect
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Your art is gone

   Going...Going...Fair Warning! ...County Art Gone!

33vernon_smithrichard_miller_600

Two of YOUR paintings given to the county for safekeeping which the Commissioners haven't lost are this Vernon Smith on left and the Richard Miller on right. Ten years ago one of Richard Miller's paintings sold at auction for $1,047,500.00, two more in  1995 sold for $690,000.00 & $662,000.00.  Vernon Smith is so important the Provincetown Art Association held a commemorative for his 100th anniversary a few years ago.

Only 5 of the 18+ Provincetown paintings were there
Missing paintings valued between $100,000 and $275,000
One artist's work sold recently for over $1 million

by Peter Robbins

The look on Provincetown historian George Bryant's face was devastating. His biggest fear since 1991 was realized.

33missing_mary_244
Mary LeClair, you are the senior Commissioner. You were in authority when the hospital was closing and closed. While you still have the ability to use your official position as County Commissioner, don’t you think it would be nice to call some people and at least ask?
When you decide to take on a cause, and you feel it’s a just one, you really do hope it turns out right.

Not so this time.

Only five of the eighteen or more paintings by well-known Provincetown artists were accounted for today when we had our private showing at the Barnstable County Commissioner's office.

County Administrator busy elsewhere 

I invited Mr. Bryant to meet with me at the commissioner's office today. Prior arrangements had been made with E. Mark Zielinski for the 2:00 p.m. viewing.  Showing up, expecting to be met by Zielinski, I quickly got an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I was met by the secretary instead,  and directed to the commissioner's office where all 22 pieces of county art work from the Barnstable County Hospital were laid against the wall.

No Mary LeClair, no Mark Zielinski.

For an hour, the artwork was examined and photographed, but there was no one available for us to ask any questions.

I had always thought when someone was going to keep their schedule open on an arranged date and time, that meant they were going to meet you. I can see why we were not met.  Most of the artwork was by unknown artists, and some just store bought prints.

Let's do an artist's roll call:

33geroge_bryant_264
Provincetown Historian George Bryant's face was devastating. His biggest fear since 1991 was realized. As we left the building, Mr. Bryant looked at me and said in a quiet tone, "Well, that’s it, I guess that’s it."
Artwork by John Whorf...MISSING
Artwork by Richard Miller....Present
Artwork by Charles Kaseleau...MISSING
Artwork by Charles Heinz...MISSING
Artwork by Julius Katzieff...MISSING
Artwork by Coulton Waugh...MISSING
Artwork by Bruce McKain...MISSING
Artwork by Tod Lindenmuth...Present
Artwork by Vollain Rann...Present
Artwork by John Gregory...MISSING
Artwork by Dorothy Lake Gregory...MISSING
Artwork by E.B. Warren...MISSING
Artwork by Donald Witherstine...MISSING
Artwork by Philip Malicoat...MISSING
Artwork by Ross Moffet...MISSING
Artwork by Ada Raynor...Present
Artwork by Edwin Dickinson...MISSING
Artwork by Vernon Smith...Present

The missing art could be worth millions 

Missing painting may be worth $100,000-$275,000 or more
   According to the Askart art sales database, the aggregate potential value of
the 18 missing paintings could range from $100,000 to $275,000, based on
past sales of these artist's works.
Historic significance
    These paintings are historically and artistically significant because they
are a collection of works by painters who were part of the Provincetown art
colony which thrived in the early 20th century. Many were students of
Charles Hawthorne.  Their styles ranged from impressionism to modern.
Bruce McKain was listed twice in the 1941 article as a contributor. I can only assume that meant he donated two pieces of art, but I guess now, we will never know. How can anyone tell this writer that nothing is missing, or that everything is accounted for!

Potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars of irreplaceable art gone!

People of Barnstable County, guess what, you have been hood-winked by the very people that are spending your hard earned tax dollars.

This is a sin, no, this is a crime and it is now being reported. Someone out there better be paying attention!

Mr. and Mrs. Cape Cod, please demand accountability!

Whose walls are these valuable, missing paintings hanging on now ? I don’t know, George Bryant doesn’t know, and perhaps our elected officials don’t know either. But it's damn well time that they find out.

This little charade has gone on long enough

Got a News Tip? Email me here.Mary LeClair, you are the senior sitting commissioner. You were in authority when the hospital was closing and closed. While you still have the ability to use your official position as County Commissioner, don’t you think it would be nice to call some people and at least ask?

If there is someone out there with the least bit of knowledge, or intestinal fortitude, to step up to the plate, and shed some light on this horrible situation please contact capecodtoday.com by email here.

As we left the building, Mr. Bryant looked at me a said in a quiet tone, "Well, that’s it, I guess that’s it." I certainly hope it isn’t. The owners of the artwork, we the taxpayers, and this dedicated man deserve much better!

Read the seven previous installments of the county art series:

10 comments
Blog posts and comments are entirely the thoughts and ideas of the people who write them and in no way represent the views of CapeCodToday.com, eCape, Inc., or its employees or owners.

03/03/08 @ 6:37 pm
Diana [Member] writes:
So what's the next step? Who is accountable for the lost art?
03/03/08 @ 7:13 pm
Peter Robbins [Member] writes:
Diana thats a great question.

Here it what I suggest, someone, other than me, should organize as many people as they can. The commissioners meet on Wednesdays, get a copy of the adgenda. The public comment period is always first, figure that out, and pack the office or parking lot or whatever and demand a resolution to this issue. That will get some attention, I'm just a "Blogger" and have done as much as I can, but certainly am willing to help in any way I can. I'm easy to contact!
03/03/08 @ 7:32 pm
Monponsett [Member] writes:
Be careful... if I were behind these thefts and you were blowing up my spot like this, I'd look into having you killed.
03/03/08 @ 9:36 pm
capemom [Member] writes:
Mary knows who to call to get answers. She'd better do it. It's a shame that these paintings were donated in a spirit of community healing by these now-deceased artists, and through apathy, were allowed to vanish.
03/04/08 @ 10:18 am
Opinionator [Member] writes:
Art theft seems like a particularly heinous crime because it strikes at the higher order end of things in our cultural heritage. Stealing money or cheating at bid rigging is a terrible thing. Stealing art is even worse because our souls are tied into our tradition of artifacts.
I would think that Mary LeClair, a shrewd, experienced politician who has always exuded integrity, might be resourceful enough to get to the bottom of these art thefts. If she is protecting people, perhaps she will come around to an awareness of what is the greater good. Even if it is discovered that some idiot took these to the dump, at least there will be some type of closure on this.
03/04/08 @ 10:29 am
Monponsett [Member] writes:
I've had "Illmatic" by Nas stolen from my CD collection like 7 times.... usually by students who were visiting my house prior to a fishing trip. I finally just uploaded the s**t onto my PC.
03/04/08 @ 11:00 am
Peter Kenney [Member] writes:
Isn't it interesting that only the really good stuff is missing. And now Mary is doing her old shuck and jive....do we remember Carmen Elio and the county investment scandal from the early nineties when Mary was the elected county treasurer? Elio went to jail for doing things right under her nose. I gues the good thing about electing certain people to county office is that it keeps them from screwing more important things.
03/04/08 @ 12:40 pm
bob [Member] writes:
It's interesting to see this story right above the story that just about proclaims her a saint. But then again, look whos hoisting her up to sainthood!
03/04/08 @ 10:14 pm
bob [Member] writes:
I'm watching a story about this right now on Fox25, boston
03/05/08 @ 7:25 am
Peter Robbins [Member] writes:
Well Fox News picked the story up. Mary LeClair put a little twist on it. The news anchor stating that some people question whether they ever existed. Wow what a spin of the facts! Nice press conference Mary, the spin doesn't stop there I guess. Oh, thats OK, they also contacted George Bryant. More to come.........
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About This Blog

psr140_191Peter Robbins has spent 25 years in law enforcement, and has testified in many jurisdictions as an expert witness in the forensic field as well as traveling the world lecturing on physical evidence and pioneering new training programs.

He is Past president and co-founder of the International Homicide Investigators Association, Peter has received many awards and recognitions for his accomplishments in the forensic and law enforcement training fields and for initiatives in Multi-Agency Cooperative Efforts.

A native Cape Codder of many generations, avid photographer, licensed captain and family man, Peter and his wife have a private investigative and consulting business. He can be reached by email here

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