A $5,000 painting was stolen from a Manhattan gallery in a smash-and-grab robbery early Monday, according to cops and sources.
The burglar smashed through the glass front door of Carlton Fine Arts in Midtown at around 2:15 a.m. and snatched the valuable piece, which had been displayed on a wooden easel in the front window, authorities and police sources said.
The break-in activated the gallery’s alarm, but the bandit was able to get away with the painting in tow by getting into a waiting silver sedan driven by another man.
An early morning smash-and-grab left the glass front door smashed and an empty easel sitting without any artwork at the Carlton Fine Arts Gallery. Matthew McDermottThe name of the pilfered piece, or its artist, were not immediately known.
The family-owned gallery, located on on Madison Avenue near East 55th Street, opened in 1969 and specializes in modern masters and pop art – promoting artwork by Keith Haring, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Joan Miró and Damien Hirst, among others.
On Monday afternoon, shards of glass, as well as pieces of the metal door handles, could be seen strewn across the floor inside the store.
The break-in activated the building’s alarm, but thief still managed to flee with a getaway driver. Matthew McDermott
The gallery specializes in modern masters and pop art, according to its website. Matthew McDermottThe door was boarded up but could not lock, so a worker stood guard outside, waiting for a glazier to arrive.
A sign in the front window read: “We are closed for inventory. We will be open Tuesday at 10 a.m. Thank you.”
The alleged thief wore blue jeans, yellow boots and a red and white jacket, while the getaway driver was seen in all black, sources said.
No arrests have been made.
