Thieves Rob Hologram Art Exhibit for 2nd Time in Week

For the second time in a week, thieves broke into a Santa Monica exhibit of holograms on Sunday, ripping 17 of the art pieces from walls or cutting wires that attached them to the ceiling.

“I just don’t know what to do,” said J. William McGowan, chairman of the board of Associates of Science and Technology, coordinator of the exhibit. “I’m past the point of being able to speak coherently.”

Police said there was no sign of forced entry. McGowan speculated it was an “inside job” by someone with a key to the exhibit building.

He said the 17 pieces taken Sunday were valued at about $40,000 and that the thieves took popular works rather than the most valuable pieces. Among the thefts were holograms of a telescope and microscope that viewers could look into and see objects.

On Aug. 12, thieves stole about $50,000 worth of holograms from the same “Images in Time and Space” exhibit. McGowan said the eight pieces that were stolen or damaged last week had been replaced with other works. The replacements were among the pieces stolen this week.