Sculpture stolen from Sisters art gallery

Several sculptures are displayed outside at the Ghiglieri Gallery. The horses must have been a little too big to move. photo by Jim Cornelius Thieves made off with a 200-pound bronze sculpture of a bald eagle valued at $70,000 on Tuesday evening, July 13, according to Deschutes County Sheriff's Office reports.

The eagle sculpture by Lorenzo Ghiglieri was secured with a chain outside the new Ghiglieri Gallery at 103 East Hood Ave. (the former location of the Buffalo Horn Gallery).

"It was chained up, so they had to bring huge, huge bolt cutters and they snipped it and took off with it," said gallery manager Jamie Skelley.

"It takes me and two other people to lift it, so it must have been several people."

According to Skelley, Ghiglieri planed to donate the sculpture to a hospital.

"We should have known not to leave it outside, but it's just so heavy..." Skelley said.

The gallery manager also said he never anticipated a theft of this magnitude and audacity in Sisters.

The sculpture stands about 37 inches tall, weighs 200 pounds and is painted in the colors of an American Bald Eagle.

Investigators are asking that anyone with information regarding the theft contact the sheriff's office through the Central Oregon dispatch center at 388-0170.

Skelley said that Ghiglieri is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the safe recovery of the sculpture and the capture of the thieves.