Pittsfield Artist's Stolen Paintings Found After Six MonthsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:23PM / Tuesday, July 25, 2023 | |
 Artist Edward Pelkey with his paintings that were stolen earlier this year. Both paintings turned up at a tag sale on Elm Street on Sunday. Pelkey said the tag sale operator offered to sell them to him for $100. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Someone stole two paintings by local artist Edward Pelkey this past January.
On Sunday, they turned up at a tag sale on Elm Street.
For Pelkey, it was a surreal experience. He was having a regular Sunday when he was alerted of their location by an acquaintance.
"Half an hour later, I was home with my paintings," he said. "It's strange how life works, both the theft and the return."
But this hasn't ended the six-month mystery of the artworks' whereabouts.
Back in January, the Pittsfield-based artist's works titled "The New Gunfighter in Town" and "The Cubist Bounty Hunter" were reported stolen from the Tartell Gallery in the rear of Methuselah Bar and Lounge on North Street.
Surveillance footage showed a man entering through an abutting, vacant storefront that shares a bathroom with the bar and gallery, turning on the lights, taking the artwork, and turning off the lights before exiting.
Due to the image quality, details of the man's features could not be made out but he was said to be familiar with the space due to the fast nature of the theft and had keys from the neighboring space.
The images were shared with the public and the Police Department turned the investigation over to its detective. At the time, a $1,000 reward was being offered for the paintings' return.
On Sunday, a friend of Pelkey's wife was walking past the convenience store at the corner of Elm and Newell Streets and noticed the oil paintings in a tag sale there. The police were alerted and Pelkey was there in about 10 minutes.
"It's just kind of crazy pulling into this spot and seeing my paintings for sale," he said.
At the time, nobody was monitoring items and Pelkey placed his paintings in the back of his car while he waited for someone to come outside.
When the man putting on the tag sale came outside there was some back and forth, with him asking what Pelkey was doing and Pelkey reporting that the paintings were stolen property.
At one point, he said he was offered $100 for his own artwork.
"I was like, 'That's not how it works,'" Pelkey said.
The police arrived quickly and tempered the situation down. The man reportedly did not offer an explanation as to how he acquired the paintings.
As far as Pelkey knows, the situation is still under investigation. The police reportedly told him that the man was going to be charged with possession of stolen property and investigated if it was him in the surveillance footage.
Police have not responded to an inquiry about the situation.
Pelkey said the owner of Methuselah, Yuki Cohen, was thrilled to hear that his paintings were found.
When asked what the future will look like for the paintings, he said he is just enjoying having them back for now.
"I'm kind of just like enjoying seeing them again," he said, reporting that he may put one back up in the Tartell Gallery to replace one that was sold but he has not decided yet.
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