Sculpture May Have Been Taken for Junk

Art, like junk, is often in the eyes of the beholder.

That’s exactly what worries sculptor William Wareham, whose 800-pound sculpture made of junk metal has vanished.

The 9-foot-tall piece, “Salmon Run,” was built from crushed water heaters and a ship’s ladder. It was placed on a steel pedestal outside the offices of Norcal Waste Systems, but disappeared three weeks ago.

Wareham fears that garbage collectors may have carted it off for the city’s extensive scrap metal recycling program. “It may have been cut up by now,” he said.

Norcal workers didn’t tell police the statue was missing right away because they mistakenly thought it had been taken away to be cleaned.

On Friday, Wareham offered a $1,000 reward for the artwork’s return in good condition. It has been valued at $18,000.

Another theory is that the statue might have been stolen by an art collector or rival sculptor. Six bolts had to be removed to get it off its pedestal.

Police aren’t so sure it was stolen.

“That thing is 9 feet tall and weighs about 800 pounds, so how did the thief lift it off the pedestal?” Police Inspector Joe Curtin said.