210 Gilded Mozart Statuettes Now Stolen from Salzburg Garden Installation

Unknown thieves in Salzburg have made off with more than 200 gilded Mozart statuettes from an art installation in the garden of Mirabell Palace. The Mozarteum Foundation, which organised the exhibition, confirmed the losses.

The installation, made up of 320 figures standing 50 centimetres tall, opened in mid-July. Within the first two weeks, 80 statuettes had already disappeared, and by Wednesday, August 12, the tally of missing pieces had climbed to 210.

Artist Weighs the Scale of the Losses

Sculptor Ottmar Hörl, known for his works in polymer, had planned to sell each statuette for 100 euros (roughly 2,420 CZK) once the exhibition ended. At the current rate, the value of the stolen pieces already exceeds half a million crowns.

According to the artist, it's unlikely that ordinary tourists are behind the thefts — the pattern points instead to an organised group at work. "The worst thing for an artist is when his work simply dissolves into thin air," Hörl told the German press agency DPA.

Not the First Time His Work Has Vanished

This isn't the first time the sculptor has faced this problem. A previous exhibition of his Richard Wagner figures in Bayreuth, Germany, was similarly stripped bare — that time, the pieces vanished within just ten days.

"That's simply the nature of public space. If you work in it as an artist, you have no right to complain about what happens there. Damage or theft can occur — that's just how it is," Hörl said.

Organisers had wisely set aside a few extra statuettes in anticipation of theft, but they hadn't expected losses on this scale. Despite the setback, the exhibition will continue as planned until August 30.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz