UPDATE: Stolen Art Slope Sculpture ‘Hovering’ Over Prospect Park Lake Has Been Returned

Updated on Sunday, September 18 at 2:47pm.

A stolen sculpture by artist Nicholas Papadakis which had been installed just days ago as part of the sweeping Art Slope Festival was returned to the artist early Sunday afternoon.

“While I was waiting for a police sergeant to arrive, two white boys came up to me carrying the sculpture claiming they had found it in the bushes this morning and gave it back to me,” Papadakis told the Stoop. The artist said he was unsure whether the two boys were involved in the incident. They both refused an award.

“Clear Child” was situated over the Prospect Park lake by the Boathouse near Lullwater Bridge.

According to Papadakis, he was meeting with a police officer in Prospect Park late this morning when a parks department employee approached them with an eyewitness account. Papadakis explained the employee’s account:

“Apparently a bunch of young white males from a wedding at the boathouse last night [Saturday, Sept 17] were seen to be in the water repeatedly vandalizing the sculpture. The parks department employee called the police but the kids disappeared by the time the officers arrived an hour later.

The youths returned around midnight and successfully stole the sculpture. The parks employee claims that everyone at the wedding saw the event transpire…”

The parks’ department employee said there may be video footage and photographs of the incident, Papadakis explained.

The artist describes the sculpture as being returned undamaged. “I should be able to reinstall — a full day effort,” he said. Papadakis is looking into the possibility of hiring full-time security.

As of 2:45pm Sunday, a police spokesperson said information is not yet in the system but should be available later as the incident was called in to 911. This would be treated as “a grand larceny investigation,” the spokesperson said.

“I’m hoping the police will be able to get fingerprints from the base,” said Papadakis, who created the sculpture as part of his Clear Story project and has received considerable press attention. Park Slope Stoop previously had set a meeting with the artist for Monday, September 19 to discuss his work.

Artist and Art Slope participant, painter Noel Hefele, discovered that the sculpture was missing about 9am this morning when he was walking his dog in the area.

“A neighbor had told us it was gone already, but we knew it was supposed to be there until the 25th. [I] went to check and saw the anchoring on the shoreline. The ropes still were wet and the green algae was on the anchoring,” Hefele told the Stoop. “It’s a shame because the sculpture was well received in our neighborhood.”

Hefele said he and his girlfriend, photographer Yoshiko Mori, are showing their work at BYKLYN Indoor Cycling Studio (258 Flatbush). “I have a large six-foot square painting of a Prospect Park tree there,” he said.

“I hadn’t even had a chance to make it over yet to see it [Nick’s work] yet,” Art Slope founder and Park Slope Civic Council co-President Gilly Youner told the Stoop earlier this morning. “Maybe this was a prank. We’re not sure right now. I wish this didn’t happen during the opening weekend. It takes away the opportunity for people to see Nick’s work.”

Papadakis hopes that something positive come out of the stolen sculpture. “I’m hoping people can come together and respond to this — maybe even create a new piece of work in response.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting your tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Police say all calls are confidential.

The nine-day arts festival began with an Opening Night Party at ShapeShifter Lab on Friday Night, and brought community out on Saturday for the Wearable Art Walk. Art Slope concludes on Sunday, September 25.

“Ironically, the sculpture, a life-size realistic figure of a child cast in transparent resin, was part of an on-going series of transparent sculptures placed in nature settings that question the transience of human experience within the billions of earth years and the oversized impact of our actions on environments that will outlive us,” said Papadakis.

Art Slope continues to offer a myriad of art installations, film, photography, music, dance, theatre, as well as artist workshops and panels throughout September 25. The Art Slope website provides a search by venue, search by artist, and the full venue map.