Two BenCab paintings apparently stolen in transit
From BenCab and Annie:
Two BenCab paintings have gone missing in transit from Los Angeles to Singapore.
Attached is a letter from Susan Baik, part-owner of the AndrewShire Gallery in Los Angeles where the two paintings were exhibited last year as part of a three-man exhibition.
The letter details the circumstances of the disappearance of the two paintings while under the care of FedEx. From the looks of it, Susan is now certain that it is a case of theft.
We are sending out this alert to warn you not to purchase these paintings if offered to you and to please let us know immediately if you hear anything about these paintings.
March 8, 2010
Dear Ben,
I cannot even start to tell you how genuinely sorry and mortified I am to be writing you this letter.
After two weeks of back and forth, I finally received notification from Fed Ex, instructing AndrewShire Gallery to formally proceed with a claim against the company, since they had failed to locate the two paintings that were shipped via Fed Ex from the Gallery in Los Angeles, to Singapore.
The irony of course is that Fed Ex picked up the paintings, carefully wrapped and package-sealed in a tube, at the Gallery in Los Angeles on February 26, and delivered an empty tube to me in Singapore on March 8, with the cover having been carefully sawn off, but with my address and details clearly stamped on the tube.
I have already filed a police report in Singapore, and it is my earnest hope that their investigation will reveal the details that Fed Ex is withholding from me –
1) How is it that an empty tube passes muster with customs in Singapore without a record?
2) If the tube was picked up from the Gallery with its cover sawn off, clearly empty, would not Fed Ex in Los Angeles have recorded the incident, and probably refuse to ship the item?
3) If an empty tube arrived in Singapore with its top sawn off, but with my address clearly on the tube, why did the local agents not contact me at all?
4) Further, did the empty tube not trigger any concerns on the part of the local agents with regards to potential theft?
5) Why does Fed Ex refuse to share with me the results of their ostensibly having studied their surveillance tapes at their Singapore warehouse, the names of the individuals who would have potentially handled the tube, and their internal correspondence on the case?
As frustrated and angry as I am at the turn of events, and despite the hours of anguished “how’s” and “why’s” I have subjected myself to, I have to now accept that the paintings have been stolen – not just misplaced.
What now?
1. The Gallery has filed a claim with Fed Ex in Los Angeles as they instructed us to.
2. I continue to follow-up, daily, with the police in Singapore, and will keep you updated on any information they share with me with regards to their investigations.
3. I am seriously exploring our legal options, both in Los Angeles as well as in Singapore.
4. I have sent out formal notifications to the local and international auction houses informing them about the theft, together with a clear description and images of the two paintings, and have requested them to please keep an eye open for any suspicious activity.
5. We have informed our insurance company of the incident, and the sequence of events, and I will keep you updated on their investigations, and any decision they make on our claim.
I would also like to send out to your collectors, a copy of this letter, making them aware of the stolen paintings.
Ben, the paintings were lost on our watch, and I feel absolutely terrible. In all the years that we have shipped art across continents, we have never had something like this happen to us. Fed Ex has always been entirely reliable with their collection and delivery schedules, and the risk of blatant theft from a secured facility, honestly, never seriously crossed our minds.
From the bottom of my heart, I am truly so sorry.
I look forward to talking to you soon,
Warm Regards,
Susan Baik
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
March 13th, 2010 at 11:14
Reading that letter made me think why Filipinos can’t be like that. Besides the fact that our customer service sucks, Filipinos are quick to point blame on others. Why can’t we be more responsible and accountable not only for our actions but for things under our care? It’s frustrating.
Susan’s letter was sincerely written and helpful. It almost takes away one’s worries on the lost paintings.
March 14th, 2010 at 10:44
I hate to be an art critic because I am not. But I know if a painting is nice or not. In this case, I have to say that it is not nice. The colors are bland if that is the correct word to describe it.
The faces are like something my child in prep school would draw. You know the face with circles for eyes and inverted 7 for nose, etc.
Where are the real artists today?
March 14th, 2010 at 11:54
Tabloid headline: Ninakawan na, nilait pa! Hahaha! Hi Ben.
March 14th, 2010 at 16:53
Jerry, i understand your point of view regarding the artwork of Bencab. But paintings and artworks need not to be full of vibrant colors, or made lifelike in order to be considered a masterpiece. Van gough, H.R. Hidalgo, even Raphael Santi have made paintings that have toned down colors. we base the quality of a painting not just by its color or shape, but by the brush strokes, intricacy, the meaning, life and soul of the piece. and also by the artist who created it. I am not an art critic, but i know this much is true, from one lay man, to another. Ben Cab is a true master of the arts, and a proud Filipino.
March 14th, 2010 at 21:47
Jerry, I’m neither an art critic, but I love looking at artworks and have seen some actual paintings and take pains too, searching popular ones in books and the net. And this is all I can say, Ben Cab’s stolen paintings are beautiful. It’s sad that I hadn’t the privilege to see them in person before. More so now that they’re stolen.
March 15th, 2010 at 11:48
i judge art on the artist’s capability to draw. if you are going to draw like my kid then i might as well start to sell the drawings of my kid for his trust fund.
on the drawings above, i can’t even say if the face is that of a woman or a man.
which reminds me of a doc on cable regarding a 5 year old girl famous for her abstract paintings. the reporter asked a critic what he thought of the abstract painting not telling him that it was painted by a child.
the critic went to explain about pain, experience, emotions, deep longing for love, etc…
then the reporter said that it was painted by a child so how can she express emotions when it was just playtime art for her. she was just throwing paint on a canvas.
“color or shape, but by the brush strokes, intricacy, the meaning, life and soul of the piece. and also by the artist who created it”
you sound a lot like that art critic.
March 15th, 2010 at 12:14
maybe artists should also take an exam from the PRC. like a professional artist/painter license.
he has to pass basic drawing, color, technique, paint, charcoal, etc exams. Once he pass all of these qualifying exams then he can draw or paint in any style that he likes.
i think artists today cannot draw realistic faces or scenes hence born the field of abstract art. same thing like impressionism as an out branch of realism.
March 16th, 2010 at 09:46
Um, yes, but have you seen other Bencab works? UP and UST Fine Arts have a qualifying exam and a grading system, which are as technical as they can be – you think it’s not enough?
But on the other end of the spectrum, there are komiks artists who draw meticulous details and anatomies, and are being frowned upon by most people. If art is limited on the person’s ablilty to draw, then Coching and Ravelo would be National Artists, no debate necesssary. Caparas could’ve won, because he can “draw.” But then, there’s more to that.
Funny thing, art is.
March 16th, 2010 at 09:55
Also, I want to be that curator. Her ass was on the line, but she is honest. (I hope she is.)
Hey, who knew, contemporary Pinoy art is worthy of an art theft na pala.
March 19th, 2010 at 10:50
andrea ^^
if you are talking about art graduates of UP, UST etc as having enough academic credentials then let me also point out that a lot of so-called “elite” universities also produces doctors, engineers, lawyers, accountants, nurses, etc that graduate but fail to pass the PRC licensure exams.
having a diploma is not enough to prove your worth.
March 19th, 2010 at 10:51
common guys, why can’t you be brave enough and admit that the faces on the paintings are ugly?
or it could be that the painter is really good but his models are really ugly in real life?
March 30th, 2010 at 21:39
i am a common girl. i don’t paint, the closest i got to it was in my PracEd class wherein we do pastels of fruits/vases. but i like looking at paintings…
i am intrigued with the works of klimt, munch, picasso, and in this case, ben cab. i am in awe with the lushness of caravaggio, michelangelo, boticelli and amorsolo. and several others works, unfortunately not been able to remember the names.
and i honestly don’t find the faces on the painting ugly. it has a unique feel to it, it has “character”. i guess i just have a broader perspective on the term “beauty”… and i guess it’s relative. so it’s not for anyone to just say as if final na “that’s ugly” or “that’s not real art!”…
if we’re talking about faces, then would the old day painted cinema billboards (i dont know what they’re called) be what you consider real art faces then?
i guess the real “ugly” part of this whole thing is someone not able to respect BenCab’s work, by scoffing at it, and stealing it.
maybe some people see more things in those paintings than what you could see? needing more exposure to more artworks, no?
on your child’s paintings, if i were a parent like you i would stop comparing and start developing your child’s talent instead. hopefully he/she’ll develop a life-long passion for it, have a unique style like BenCab, and garner praise and respect as well.
from what i’ve observed in movies, painters don’t need actual models for their paintings. the images come from their imagination. neither do it need to have actual people as models (eg mondrian, dali, pollock)
Artist as a profession that needs to be licensed/PRC-ed? i don’t know how to debate on i, but by first reaction, i almost choked on my ice cream. i don’t know, i guess it’s my common girl sense telling me, WTF?!
btw. Ms. Zafra… how about twisted 9? :)