Student Steals Valuable Statue; Bust Recovered Within 24 Hours

A $12,000 bust, the Julia Domina, was stolen Friday night from Fogg Museum, and recovered within 24 hours. The thief has been expelled from the University.

An undergraduate removed the bronze from the second floor of Fogg on Friday night at the private opening of the Reubens exhibition. Although the thief escaped undetected with the piece under his raincoat, an attendant noticed his "suspicious behavior" and when the piece was missed next morning, reported the student. The piece was recovered Saturday afternoon.

Despite the high value of the piece, John P. Coolidge '35, Director of the Museum, said that like most such works of art it would have virtually no resale value, since it would be recognized by anyone interested in buying such a piece.

The thief explained, however, that "I just wanted to look at it. I liked it." No effort was made to conceal the bust once stolen, and it was found on the student's mantle.

Coolidge said that this was the first attempt at theft from the museum within his memory, despite the fact that Fogg contains material valued at more than $20,000,000.