A Palm Beach County artist is facing a significant loss after a thief manipulated price tags in his Lake Worth Beach gallery. Gary Kroman, whose artwork is sold in a boutique on Lake Avenue, was the victim of an art theft on August 10, where a man managed to pay just about $50 for art pieces cumulatively valued at $6,500. The NBC6 affiliate reported on the incident, detailing the suspect's switch of a $22 price tag onto a $5,000 artwork, and a $35 tag on a hand-painted skateboard priced at $1,200.
Video evidence from Kroman's gallery captured the man during his deception, which also involved the accidental complicity of a new employee who sold the artwork without knowledge of its true value. "It feels like someone punched you in the stomach and the air went out of you. It took a lot time to do, it’s an important piece," Kroman told WPTV, expressing the emotional impact of the theft beyond the financial loss. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is actively seeking the culprit as reported by post on X from WPTV journalist Zitlali Solache.
This art heist strikes a deeper chord, as per Kroman, that resonates with the very essence of artistic creation and its intrinsic value. "It was pretty painstaking. It was all hand work that’s detailed and fine lined and all that stuff. A lot of thinking went into this," Kroman recounted to WPTV. He seeks not just to recover his art but also the acknowledgment of his labor and thought poured into his creations.
Authorities are encouraging anyone with information to come forward, and are asking witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-458-TIPS. The efforts to locate the suspect continue, with hopes high that the stolen art pieces can be returned to Kroman, who takes pride in his work—to him worth more than the money he lost, according to the interview conducted by NBC6 affiliate. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office remains vigilant in their pursuit of the tag-switching thief, as revealed by PBSO officials and subsequently shared by Zitlali Solache's post on X.
