a plan to fail spencer reinhard painting

To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Spencer, meanwhile, was short, wiry, distant, and in many ways Warren's opposite: an over-scheduled, over-achieving, diamond-tipped drill of a kid who excelled at whatever he set himself to. The Kentucky Theatre Spencer called himself Mr. Stephens. And one thing led to another and we were just like, Let's put this behind us. And once we get past all of that, we started talking about this plan that he and Spencer have. The plan for the actual robbery sets out three distinct phases. The contact, who identified himself only as Barry, stipulated that Warren had to bring $500 in good-faith money. For added anonymity, Warren bleached his hair blond that night. Spencer continued with his heavy schedule of classes, studying, painting, and working out, while Warren returned full-time to U.K. With the pressure mounting, however, Warren was caught shoplifting a TV dinner from a local supermarket, Eric was arrested and charged with D.U.I.police pulled him over not only for running red lights but also because Warren was on top of the car, hanging on to the roof rackand Spencer crashed his Acura Legend. Along the way a stoned Spencer read aloud from the purloined first edition of On the Origin of Species, particularly fascinated by the section on how the ears of domesticated animals have drooped over generations due to the disuse of the muscles of the ear from the animals not being much alarmed by danger.. you know, it's. it was. The stun guns Warren had ordered never arrived, so he drove around town and returned with a Black Cobra Stun Pen, and had Spencer zap him and Eric to test its knockdown power. Get the latest chatter, from Kensington Palace and beyond, straight to your inbox. That was the plan. Suddenly without Eric's mock-ups, software, and equipment, Warren thought of Spencer. [Beckman] said, B.J., a nickname her friends and colleagues used for her, she told officers. They also did considerable research on the Internet, using such key terms as auction house appraisals, stun guns, and Swiss bank accounts. For inspiration, they watched heist movies like Ocean's 11 and Snatch. Churchill's statement can be agreed with. At only $200 a month, the price was right, as Warren was broke after having shut down his and Spencers fake-ID business and dropping out of U.K. for the semester to focus full-time on the heist. In exchange, Barry slipped him an e-mail address with instructions to sign off any communication with the name Terry. I showed artistic ability from a young age and was selected to attend SCAPA in the fourth grade. Phase 3 is the escape, which involves switching the G.T.A.V. ). Spencer, feeling increasingly disaffected with school life himself, readily accepted the offer. Late one Thursday afternoon in mid-February, the two friends bought a bag of weed and drove the 700 miles to Manhattan in Spencer's Acura Legend. In exchange, Barry slipped him an e-mail address with instructions to sign off any communication with the name Terry. Around Halloween, Warren drafted a working plan, which he presented to the other three in the basement. As they ran, they stumbled again into Chas, who had returned in another car as promised, just in time to save them and drive Eric to U.K. for his tennis-class exam. Us three, we were much thicker than he was.) And what Chas likely didnt know was that, for Warren, Eric, and Spencer, the actual appraisal and sale of the stolen books had become irrelevant to the mission. Seeing something in the wayward Warren, the preppy grifter pitched him the idea of selling fake Kentucky drivers licenses in the U.K. dorms. With a long, thin face and bleached-blond hair and sideburns, he appeared younger than Gooch had expected. Shop - Spencer Reinhard A selection of some of my works available in limited edition print. He was just so unbearable. Like, they were doing something serious, talking about the heist, going over the plan, and somebody would make a joke. Warren jumped at the opportunity and recruited another adrift freshman, his old high-school soccer teammate Eric Borsuk, as a partner. When I get up there, B.J. (Because Spencer was a Transy student, he risked being recognized in the library.) No response. Photographed by Nan Goldin at the tender age of 19, just about to release his Tony Richardson film. On the morning of December 16, Warrens carefully scripted plan began to unravel almost immediately. Before, in college, growing up, we were being funneled into this mundane, nickel-and-dime existence. That night Chas snapped, they say, fearing the Christies book appraisalthe Jesus bolt holding Warrens entire heist plan togetherwas in danger of falling through. Spencers journey as an aspiring artist may at first appear wholly inimical to achieving that end, though significantly the challenges he faced are far from unique to most aspiring artists. On the morning of December 17, 2004, Betty Jean Gooch, a librarian in the Special Collections Library at Transylvania University, in Lexington, Kentucky, was preparing for her 11 o'clock appointment with Walter Beckman, a man she had never met. for a second vehicle at a secret location, which, according to Warren's plan, is used to transport team and loot to temporary resting place. After the heist, since it is certain that the stolen books will be entered into art-theft databases within a week, they have to get the books appraised at Christie's in New York immediately. When not at practice, Warren spent his time smoking pot, watching Comedy Central, and reading German philosophy. After a short wait, a young Christie's employee, Melanie Halloran, came out to apologize, as Mr. Leckey, due to an impending public auction, would be unable to see them. In his talk, Spencer speaks to how he found a unique, unexpected sense of freedom and honesty in his art, not constrained by societal influences or monetary pressures. Warren and Spencer readied themselves early without waking the others, silently showering, shaving, and putting the finishing touches on their outfits. Faced with overwhelming evidence, they all eventually confessed. notified all the airports in the area, dispatched officers to surrounding neighborhoods, and called the F.B.I. agents poured in over the wreckage. Though she couldn't recall much else about her assailants, one odd detail stood out. It had some tennis trivia in there that I wasn't expecting.. He was visibly unnerved, Warren remembers. Spencer drives me out to Lexington [Blue Grass Airport] on a Friday. The minimum-security Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland, Kentucky, 125 miles from Lexington, houses approximately 1,200 inmates in multi-story cellblocks encircled by concentric layers of razor-topped fencing and fortified guard towers. He loved that it had been made the screen saver on the F.B.I. He was told to look for a bearded, heavyset man in a solid-blue sweater. 's all-time most significant art-theft cases. I guess when we did that she went upstairs to check on B.J.. In the fall of 2004, Warren Lipka moved into the unfinished basement. Add to cart Category: Prints Additional information The crew arrived in New York City early Sunday morning. because she wanted a new Range Rover, like, what? The other was short and quiet, wearing a yellow jacket two sizes too large and a matching scarf. After researching auction houses online, Warren singled out Christie's in New York. For added anonymity, Warren bleached his hair blond that night. It was just funny because weve been in a lot of places that theyve been, Eric says. Eric dropped the books, and he and Warren made a run for it. 1.7K Followers. He was still enrolled, but only nominally, and remained on the fringes of campus life. By early November the boys were selling fake IDs at a hundred dollars apiece, and had apparently branched out into more lucrative identity manipulations. part of a series on Honesty Still shaken from her ordeal, Gooch, in her 50s, told police that shortly after entering the Rare Book Room with the two men she had been struck on the arm with a Taserlike weapon, her hands and feet were bound with zip ties, and a wool cap was pulled over her eyes. The severity of the requested sentences was predicated on the dual propositions that, although the Audubon volumes had never been physically removed from the library, according to the letter of the law they were nonetheless stolenincreasing the monetary value of the crimeand that the Black Cobra Stun Pen used to subdue B. J. Gooch not only inflicted physical harm but was in actuality a dangerous weapon. Worse still for the defendants, B. J. Gooch's ordeal had become a cause clbre among librarians, many of whom wrote letters to the judge arguing against leniency. . The L.P.D. . The painting is a kaleidoscope of images, including what appears to be a computer, a cell phone, a bong, the Transylvania library, and loose sheets of notepaper, floating above a desiccated one-eyed young man in a watch cap, kicking back on a beat-up couch with a blue dog on his lap. Even if they did steal the books, for example, how would they ever sell them? Slattery was arrested and convicted of one successful and two attempted robberies. In the case of 67-year-old Alan Slattery of the U.K., it prevented a robbery from even happening. When Eric let him in on the plan, Chas mocked the three as deluded potheads, he recalls. By far the most common theory around town was that the heist had been just a frat prank that spun way out of control. The first call went out to the National Crime Information Center, alerting law enforcement to be on the lookout for a gray minivan with temporary plates, the description of a vehicle seen screeching away from the library. We felt bad., Warren and Eric rode the elevator to the basement, but they couldn't find the fire exit. He said his name was John. This story was recently documented in the feature film American Animals. The partnership flourished, with Warren as the face of the operation and Eric in charge of ID production, until the two had an argument over $2,000 that went missing from Eric's drawer. The painting, in digital form, would become a popular screen saver on the F.B.I. When Halloran inquired about them, Spencer spoke up and offered to fetch them from the car. Phase 1 begins at the bungalow when all four get into what Warren designated the G.T.A.V., or the Go-to-and-Away-Vehicle, all disguised as old men. For Spencer it all started with a series of mild disappointments. For footwear he went with clean white sneakers. That afternoon they worked their way back uptown, to scope out Christies steel-and-glass headquarters before their Tuesday appointment. As a child he drew and painted and his abilities led him to consider a career as an artist whilst at High School. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. What becomes apparent, as first faintly and then irreversibly, is the painting as a negative apotheosis of color and form, which Reinhardt defended himself against. So we go back down to the bottom floor just to get away from her. Afterward, they returned to the Hilton for an early night. Before, in college, growing up, we were being funneled into this mundane, nickel-and-dime existence. When they arrived on campus in the replacement G.T.A.V., they couldn't find a parking space anywhere near the library. He was whisked into a squad car. Waiting for the law to snatch them was nerve-racking, but they went on with their lives as if nothing had been amiss. By five P.M., Warrenas Beckmanwas back on the phone with Gooch explaining that he had missed his appointment because he had been out of town on business. A week later came a terse reply, telling Terry that, if he wanted to sell something, he was going to have to come in person to Amsterdam, as that is where I do business. Both Spencer and Warren were thrilleduntil they realized it would require traveling with a passport. Oh, yeah, he almost got shot, says Eric, laughing. Shift + Tab to replay. and having to sign a fucking book. By hitting the ball back into Warren's court, Spencer thought he would keep that thrilling flicker of criminality burning for a bit longer, while fully expecting there to be an insurmountable obstacle somewhere down the road. So we go back to the guy in Lexington and we say, Listen, we want to go somewhere, we want to go out of the country, and we need documentation, Warren explains. The meeting was scheduled for the next morning on the southern edge of Central Park near the Plaza Hotel. The meeting was scheduled for the next morning on the southern edge of Central Park near the Plaza Hotel. Ultimately, upon release, his art career has flourished. In fact, wedged in their backpacks was nearly three-quarters of a million dollars' worth of books and manuscripts: an 1859 first edition of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection ($25,000), an illuminated manuscript from 1425 ($200,000), a set of the two-volume 15th-century horticultural masterpiece entitled Hortus Sanitatis ($450,000), 20 original Audubon pencil drawings ($50,000), and Audubon's A Synopsis of the Birds of North America ($10,000). They had reserved a room in the same Midtown Hilton that Spencer and Warren had stayed in nearly a year earlier. as we left we were going to make an anonymous phone call so they knew she was up here, Eric continues. A uniformed doorman cheerily welcomed both boys into the lobby, where they informed reception that they were there for Mr. Walter Beckmans appointment with Thomas Leckey, Christies rare-book specialist. I attended Tates Creek High School, where I continued to take art classes, but most of my time was dedicated to playing soccer. "It's often considered a mistake in the art world to have multiple styles, but I have to go wherever my inspiration takes me. [Warren's] like, Come on up, Eric remembers. Phase 3 is the escape, which involves switching the G.T.A.V. She offered to take his place. A witness had written down a license-plate number, but it was way off. Thats what we were doing, kind of living this little Matchstick Men, college kind of life.. When the four boys were arrested the news was met with disbelief, as none of them had been in any serious trouble before. He topped off his new living quarters with the last of his worldly belongings: a large-screen television, a DVD player, and a Sony PlayStation. The three then take the staff-only elevator down to the bottom floor and escape out the west fire exit. The books were much heavier than the boys had projected, and the pair could handle only three at a time. The two men followed the librarian into the Rare Book Room, and John closed the door behind them. It is more important to get a plan down, as flawed as it may be, and then continue to work on it as the entrepreneur would work on their business over time. The day of the heist was to be Thursday, December 16, one of the last days of final examsthe library would be nearly empty. Warren and Chas left the other two and staggered to the nearby China Club, a tacky West Side nightclub, which they knew about from the famous Rick James episode of Chappelles Show. Spencers life story and his practice are indelibly linked, thus the works he has created are a highly personal meditation on the journey Spencer Reinhard experienced. The severity of the requested sentences was predicated on the dual propositions that, although the Audubon volumes had never been physically removed from the library, according to the letter of the law they were nonetheless stolenincreasing the monetary value of the crimeand that the Black Cobra Stun Pen used to subdue B. J. Gooch not only inflicted physical harm but was in actuality a dangerous weapon. Worse still for the defendants, B. J. Goochs ordeal had become a cause clbre among librarians, many of whom wrote letters to the judge arguing against leniency. So we go back down to the bottom floor just to get away from her. because she wanted a new Range Rover, like, what? Spencer gives me 500 bucks, in my pocket. I think we all knew that we wanted something different, and we had to break away from where we were living. If not, we were going to get caught and it was going to be a crazy story., And now that weve diverted from that path, we feel liberated, Warren tells me, waving his arms around the room. Nothing panned out until mid-January, when, following a federal subpoena, Yahoo delivered all the data on its servers related to the walter.beckman@yahoo.com address. Eric rented a proper bedroom upstairs, while Spencer moved back into the dorms at Transylvania. still young, Warren says. The truth is, but for one obvious, big mistakethe trip to Christie'sthey probably would have gotten away with it, a Lexington police detective told me. They simply ignored him, and the four returned to Lexington. Aside from harming B. J. Gooch, Spencer, Warren, and Eric maintain that they have no regrets. The partnership flourished, with Warren as the face of the operation and Eric in charge of ID production, until the two had an argument over $2,000 that went missing from Erics drawer. Between studying for his first semesters finals, working out, and painting, Spencer made time to scope out the Special Collections section of the Transy library, reporting back to Warren weeks later that there was zero security other than an old lady librarian named B.J. I took my zip ties and I put them around her feet and put them around her arms. It was about at that point that Gooch remembers Warren saying, Quit struggling, B.J., or do you want to feel more pain?. Spencer elected not to consider his consequent incarceration as the loss of his best years, but rather sought to salvage his fledgling artist career by utilising his time to develop his practice and to consider new methods and media. Believe me, you havent heard the last of us yet.. When Warren arrived, he saw a man fitting that description seated with three other men. Jean Smarts Career Timeline: I Dont Take Any of It for Granted, Donald Trump Calls E. Jean Carroll Rape Lawsuit a Hoax And A Lie; Judge Rules Suit Can Proceed, The former president continues to deny knowing the writer, calling her mentally sick., James Marsden Is Still Hoping for a Happy Ending for Canceled, Jeremy Renner Shares Selfie from Hospital Bed After Snow Plow Accident. He was just so unbearable. But before long they were put to chase once again, this time by two local thugs. He focused above all on painting, gaining admission into a prestigious Lexington arts program. The two men followed the librarian into the Rare Book Room, and John closed the door behind them. When she asked for contact information, Spencer gave her his cell-phone number. Phase 2 involves the actual theft, and begins when Spencer takes his position at an upper-floor window of the nearby athletic center, where he will be on lookout. Theyre all slim and dressed identically in cheap sneakers and a khaki uniform emblazoned with their incarceration numbers, and all have hair down to their shoulders. Spencer believed it was an insurmountable problem. Cops entered the basement, a dank pit reeking of marijuana, and found Warren sprawled out on a mattress. It had been agreed that Warren, with his smooth talk, and Spencer, with his artistic knowledge, would go to the meeting. As she inspected the items, Halloran dutifully took notes, then asked a few questions regarding their provenance, which Spencer answered as best he could under the circumstances. We live in 10 months of the year in Colombia and spend two in the States. She described one of the young men as about six feet tall, with bleached-blond hair, well dressed in a nice suit, and very talkative. Only by committing a felony could they ensure that they would never end up living back in the sterile, suburban world of the subdivisions. Honored to share the PRHBTN fest with you - your mural being the main attraction of course. More important, the basement was secluded. Warren made an appraisal appointment at Christies in New York for Walter Beckman, a pseudonym inspired by the soccer star David Beckham. Late one Thursday afternoon in mid-February, the two friends bought a bag of weed and drove the 700 miles to Manhattan in Spencers Acura Legend. Bam. He was whisked into a squad car. So we go back to the guy in Lexington and we say, Listen, we want to go somewhere, we want to go out of the country, and we need documentation, Warren explains. Spencer would communicate with Warren from a cell phone, which Warren would steal from a student in the morning. Nothing like a six year prison sentence to get the creative juices flowing. Because the boys pleaded guilty, many of the cases crucial details remain unknown even to law enforcement. Remembering Distinguished Jamaicans Cabinet ministers of 1955 and 1959, Tricia Nicholas makes a mark in corporate governance , Brazil reckons with artistic treasures ruined in riot, A reporter at a dying paper solves a serial murder, ChatGPT, DALL-E 2 and collapse of creative process, Set goals and appropriate their manifestation, Looted ancient sarcophagus returned to Egypt, Heres how your cup of coffee contributes to climate change, Digital Archives: Online editions 2006-Now. American painter Spencer Reinhard is loving the new art he is diligently producing. The other was short and quiet, wearing a yellow jacket two sizes too large and a matching scarf. Because the boys pleaded guilty, many of the case's crucial details remain unknown even to law enforcement. Afterward, he was to call Eric up to haul the books in two trips to the G.T.A.V., which was to be driven by Chas. Quit struggling, B.J., or do you want to feel more pain? she remembered the man saying. They were skeptical, Warren recalls. As she was heading toward a display case, Gooch felt a tingling on her right arm and collapsed to the floor. Though she couldnt recall much else about her assailants, one odd detail stood out. Because their campuses were only a mile apart, they assumed they would stay close, but as with most freshmen, their assured identities and easy expectations muddied once they hit campus. Chas not only lived in the yellow bungalow but also was a part owner of it with his father, a prominent Lexington real-estate investor. In terms of the dollar amount involved and the extraordinary circumstances, the theft was one of the most significant in its history. Serving a seven-year prison sentence following his involvement in a notorious heist (portrayed in the film American Animals), Spencer Reinhard was committed to not losing the best years of his life. He turned to his own art, determined to refine his craft and technique. When not at practice, Warren spent his time smoking pot, watching Comedy Central, and reading German philosophy. Warren introduced himself as Mr. Williams. This is my first time on the island, any island for that matter, he said. Buried in the files was a series of e-mails to Christie's in New York. The stun guns Warren had ordered never arrived, so he drove around town and returned with a Black Cobra Stun Pen, and had Spencer zap him and Eric to test its knockdown power. The F.B.I. Buried in the files was a series of e-mails to Christies in New York. The three then take the staff-only elevator down to the bottom floor and escape out the west fire exit. He added: Its always nice to be with people that are familiar with the area, and Ive been made to feel very welcome. Spencer had underestimated his friends resolve. If we go in there theyre not going to suspect that we stole these. Ezra Millers Messiah Delusions: Inside. Warren made an appraisal appointment at Christie's in New York for Walter Beckman, a pseudonym inspired by the soccer star David Beckham. The actor thanked his fans for all their kind words. LET'S START WITH 10 DAYS OF . He looked like he was dressed from a thrift store, Halloran told the agents. Dressed for success in a tailored dark-blue suit his parents had bought for special occasions and future job interviews, Warren cultivated the young-conservative look, using a Windsor knot on his red tie and giving his wing tips a last-minute buff. So we ate at Pazzos pizza pub. All rights reserved. 2023 Cond Nast. It was very punishing, that first couple of months in college. They take you in the Special Collections and show you these books, Spencer remembers, including Transys prized Birds of America, by John James Audubon, a four-volume set of life-size engravings the pioneer wildlife artist completed in London in 1838. Over the phone and by e-mail, Beckman had asked to view, among other items, a first edition of Charles Darwins On the Origin of Species and four double-size folios of John James Audubons Birds of America. Get the latest chatter, from Kensington Palace and beyond, straight to your inbox. Even if they did steal the books, for example, how would they ever sell them? The Real Spencer Reinhard : To have this, this need to know what is on the other side of that line, and realizing the only way to actually do that is to cross it, there's never a point in your life after that where you haven't already crossed that line. When an agent called, he got a voice-mail recording, This is Spence. So we would see parts like that and we would be Oh, this is just like us. Little did the three know that F.B.I. Cant have any of this documented. It was only a tennis final, Eric says, but that final that day was actually harder than I thought it was going to be. Although the two hadn't really been in contact in the first few months of school, Warren knew that Spencer's artistic talents would be an asset. Its great to be the inspiration for this project., Two weeks into his stay, Reinhard, an ardent ornithologist, whose works draw inspiration from late Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning, feels that his greatest artistic asset is his versatility. Behind the main building and through three blastproof security doors is the prison visitors room, where I meet separately with Likpa, Reinhard, and Borsuk for a series of interviews almost a year into their sentence. Although the two hadnt really been in contact in the first few months of school, Warren knew that Spencers artistic talents would be an asset. Like, they were doing something serious, talking about the heist, going over the plan, and somebody would make a joke. It was very punishing, that first couple of months in college. She offered to take his place. Warren had been convinced after spotting a suspicious man loitering near the yellow bungalowwhen he stepped outside, the man disappeared into an unmarked white van with tinted windows and sped off. I'm utterly curious about decision-making | Sharing lessons learned from the thousands of decisions I've studied and made | Founder https://www.resolve.blog. It was only a tennis final, Eric says, but that final that day was actually harder than I thought it was going to be. Warren also ordered four stun guns over the Internet. believing that they had escaped with next to nothing. Shortly thereafter he was introduced to a Lexington Catholic alumnus who was making an easy living in identity theft. Titled A Plan to Fail, it was part of a series he had done on the crime for a local art gallery while out on bond. was hank azaria on seinfeld, digitalb supersport live, waterfront property st lawrence county, ny, romans 12:2 passion translation, port coquitlam accident today, virtualbox ubuntu failed to start snap daemon, jane rodgers johnson, super atv wheel bearing greaser, best stihl chainsaw for professional, trattoria monti rome reservation, lee high school volleyball schedule, pink depression glass bowl with scalloped edge, do dryshod boots run true to size, a320 navigation display symbols, neenah police incident reports,

Les Grandes Divisions Geologiques De L'histoire De La Terre, Lewis County, Ny Road Closures, Brian Lauritzen Accident, Jason Sanchez Eldon, Mo, Tiger Global Management Portfolio, Swope Middle School Yearbook, How To File A Police Report Hawaii, When In Rome, Do As The Romans Do Bible Verse, Digital Art Contests For Students 2022, Tony Stark X Daughter Reader Forgotten,