British police say they have figured out what happened to a two-tonne Henry Moore sculpture stolen in 2005, sparking a global hunt for the thieves.

The massive bronze sculpture, known as Reclining Figure, was taken from the 28-hectare estate that is home to Moore's former studios, barns and gallery in Much Hadham, Hertfordshire — about 50 kilometres north of London — on Dec. 15, 2005.

At the time, police had surmised that the theft of the 3.4-metre-long sculpture, created 1969 to 1970, was ordered by a private art collector.

Now, they say it was probably melted down and sold for no more than £1,500 ($2,678 Cdn) as scrap metal.

There's a pretty good short story by the late Thomas Disch about a wealthy man in a post-apocalyptic world who is trading his art collection bit by bit to an unscrupulous connoisseur in order to survive. At the end [spoiler] he trades a Warhol soup can for a can of soup.
- tom moody 5-22-2009 10:38 pm [add a comment]

thanks tom. good use value/exchange value story. sounds like an inspired twilight zone. whats the books title?
- bill 5-23-2009 3:12 pm [add a comment]

The short story collection is The Wall of America. That particular story is "Canned Goods." It is very twilight zone, and Disch gets to have fun with his art knowledge. The art buyer and seller are bargaining at one point over a "large, chastely-framed Motherwell collage/drawing" and the connoisseur says: "any third year art student with savvy coaching from a competent interior decorator could produce such wallpaper by the roll."
- tom moody 5-23-2009 6:01 pm [add a comment]

motherwell is with fair reason susceptible such critique. another good one.
- bill 5-23-2009 7:27 pm [add a comment]