East End artist seeks public help to find stolen works

An East End artist whose work has appeared in galleries from Manhattan to Greenport has been working with the FBI for several years to trace what he believes was the theft of at least 200 paintings from his former Mattituck studio.

The artist, Max Moran, now of Baiting Hollow, said he isn't certain when the theft took place, but it likely was four to six years ago and included some of his most cherished and intimate paintings and sketches, and thousands of photographs and negatives.

FBI spokesman Richard Kolko confirmed the investigation but declined to discuss it. Still, Kolko said publicity about the case could help: "If his going public will encourage additional leads, that would be a good thing."

Moran, an Ohio-born artist who moved to Greenport in 1996, said he believes the theft happened while he was away in the Adirondacks sometime in the mid-2000s. He returned home to find the door to his Mattituck studio unlocked.

Ever since he moved from that studio in 2006 and began to track paintings that were no longer in his collection, Moran has been on a mission to recover the paintings. They include portraits of his daughter and former wife.

He initially took his case to the Southold Police Department, but he says the report he filed and subsequent investigation turned up no leads. Calls to the detective handling the case weren't returned.

Then, in June 2008, Moran notified the FBI's art theft division, providing investigators with leads and possible suspects. Because a catalog of the artwork also was taken, Moran said he did not initially realize the size and scope of the alleged heist. He has since organized a list of the works and values them at more than $400,000.

It's been a four-year roller-coaster ride for Moran, who said he has always wanted to go public with the case but was advised against it by authorities.

Moran's work has appeared in galleries throughout the Northeast, including Greenport, Martha's Vineyard, Mass., and Manhattan, where he often painted streetside and where he lived after leaving Ohio in 1985. He has traveled the world painting, with extended stays in Ireland and France. He settled on the North Fork, where his paintings have been offered and shown in settings from Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead to Jedediah Luce Hawkins restaurant in Jamesport.

On a recent sunny day in his studio, Moran choked up speaking of some of the paintings in the collection, including annual paintings of his daughter on her birthday after he and his wife divorced. In addition, the alleged theft of thousands of photos and negatives of models is particularly disturbing, he said, because some could wind up on the Internet.

These days, Moran has a security system in his home and has taken other precautions to make certain he isn't victimized again. But he says the loss haunts him. "You wake up with it, you go to bed with it," he said. "It's like cultural rape."