For footwear he went with clean white sneakers. The Lexington Police Departments commercial-burglary squad was assigned to the case. The whole operation would have to be completed by 12:30 P.M., as the boys say Chas needed to return the Dodge Caravan to his mother in time for her to sell it, and Spencer and Eric had to get to their final exams in sociology and tennis, respectively. Before, in college, growing up, we were being funneled into this mundane, nickel-and-dime existence. He's probably thinking I blamed him for [stealing] the money, which I never really did. (Because Spencer was a Transy student, he risked being recognized in the library.) His malaise was likely exacerbated by his parents impending divorce amid his mothers allegations that his father, Big Warren, the celebrated coach of the universitys womens soccer team, had gambled the family into bankruptcy. Once the boys were inside the library, students stared at the ridiculous old-man disguises. Only cannabis-smoking goalkeeper Warren Lipka . 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. He said, You do that and you are free then to give them to us when you can. O.K., great. 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. Leave a message. A Google search of Spencer Reinhard brought up numerous hits for soccer in the Lexington area. (The librarian who chased them out of the library did tell police the correct total of four thieves, even though she had seen only three.) They also noticed a group of people lingering in the Rare Book Room. The Lexington Police Department's commercial-burglary squad was assigned to the case. Choose your favorite reinhard art prints from 2,323 available designs. I was in interaction with people from nearly every country in the Americas, he reflected on the time spent between prisons in Kentucky and Texas. Chas backs up [the van] and almost hits the woman as Eric comes around to the door. Now we can't ever go back there. Back at Warren's later that afternoon, the boys were transfixed by local coverage of the Transy Book Heist. According to the news, it appeared that neither Gooch nor anyone else was able to provide the police with an accurate description of the boys. They said that this set, Birds of America, sold for $12 million. I said, Twelve million dollars, just sitting there? They went back up in the elevator, accidentally stopping on the main floor, where they were spotted by another librarian. Realizing that the only way out was through the main floor, they took the elevator up once again and carried the books into a back stairwell that led to another exit. Us three, we were much thicker than he was.) And what Chas likely didn't know was that, for Warren, Eric, and Spencer, the actual appraisal and sale of the stolen books had become irrelevant to the mission. Suddenly without Erics mock-ups, software, and equipment, Warren thought of Spencer. and Lexington police put the pair under surveillance. That was the point all along. Indeed one might consider these years to be a catalyst with which he could find his unique vision. 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. After researching auction houses online, Warren singled out Christie's in New York. Two months later, amid a local media frenzy, the four formally pleaded guilty to all six federal charges, including theft of cultural artifacts from a public museum and interstate transportation of stolen property. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. He feared being restricted in any way. In exchange, Barry slipped him an e-mail address with instructions to sign off any communication with the name Terry. 214 E Main StLexington, KY United States 40507, (Shift + Enter to play/pause. Warren sectioned off a bedroom by hanging bedsheets from the rafters and furnished it with an old mattress and a tangerine easy chair he had picked up from Goodwill. By far the most common theory around town was that the heist had been just a frat prank that spun way out of control. Warren jumped at the opportunity and recruited another adrift freshman, his old high-school soccer teammate Eric Borsuk, as a partner. This ultimately led to the life changing events chronicled in the 2018 film American Animals. Wearing a heavy coat, gloves, and a wool cap, Beckman signed the visitors log. We need to just get over this stuff, Eric tells me, explaining how Warren re-entered his life after their falling-out the previous semester. Chas turned the G.T.A.V. The other was short and quiet, wearing a yellow jacket two sizes too large and a matching scarf. All four, now 22, children of privilege, products of elite Lexington high schools, are serving seven-year sentences for their parts in the crime. . So we ate at Pazzos pizza pub. I know now that they were my best years, and if I hadnt gone to prison, they would have been lost to temptations of the so-called free world., Shuttling between his familys adopted home in California, Colombia, and Stateside, Reinhard said: The transition for me has been great. Cant have any of this documented. After a quick powwow in the stacks, the conspirators decided to abort the mission for the time being and retreated to the bungalow. What they would tell me, then, is their version of eventsand the only complete account of the planning, execution, and aftermath of the heist. He loved that it had been made the screen saver on the F.B.I.s computers. Now the hard partwe have to steal them. I was nervous. In their senior year the two became local celebrities after a dramatic photo appeared in the Lexington Herald-Leader showing Lexington Catholic star goalkeeper Lipka and Tates Creek forward Reinhard battling midair during a playoff game. That night Chas snapped, they say, fearing the Christies book appraisalthe Jesus bolt holding Warrens entire heist plan togetherwas in danger of falling through. Bam. Failure to plan is planning to fail because if you don't plan anything, you might as well not plan at all. Donald Trump to Evangelicals: You Cant Break Up With Me Because Im Breaking Up With You First, Reality Is Submerged in Fantasy: The Villages Is a Boomers UtopiaAnd Demographic Time Bomb. I can't really get into too much specifics, Eric says, but we were doing all kinds of little scams: making fake IDs, making little things here and there. An American Animals coloring book, as well as original drawings Skip to content Spencer Reinhard Home After Audubon Prison Period Abstract Abstract color series Post prison Abstract About Shop Commissions Contact Menu Home After Audubon Prison Period They had reserved a room in the same Midtown Hilton that Spencer and Warren had stayed in nearly a year earlier. 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. Im not sure, but it was a lot. Warren was already busily working out the problem, returning for advice to his underworld contact: What if we had some artwork that we wanted to sell? Warren remembers asking him. And one thing led to another and we were just like, Lets put this behind us. And once we get past all of that, we started talking about this plan that he and Spencer have. received two additional pieces of evidence from Christie's: security-camera footage of the meeting and a cell-phone number the men had left behind. When she asked for contact information, Spencer gave her his cell-phone number. Spencer believed it was an insurmountable problem. 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. Between studying for his first semester's 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. Warren went up to the third floor to meet Gooch, while Eric waited downstairs for him to call. 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. 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. His malaise was likely exacerbated by his parents' impending divorce amid his mother's allegations that his father, Big Warren, the celebrated coach of the university's women's soccer team, had gambled the family into bankruptcy. Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk and Charles Allen II were all between the ages of 19 and 20 at the time of the robbery. Improvising on the plan, he kicked Eric and Warren out on the street, believing three men in a gray minivan would draw too much attention. Cops entered the basement, a dank pit reeking of marijuana, and found Warren sprawled out on a mattress. Spencer received a commission to paint murals at a local school and kept up his soccer training, Eric started a lawn-care business with his friend Chas Allen, and Warren landed a job at a local day camp. Afraid to Look - Spencer Reinhard Home / Prints / Afraid to Look Afraid to Look $ 789 Full sized print of acrylic on canvas painting. It immediately had kind of sparked my imagination, like a fantasy., O.K., so we're sitting in the car, smoking weed, Warren recalls, and then Spencer said, I just took a tour in that library, and there's shit sitting there you wouldn't believe. Like Barry, the men were immediately put off by Warrens youth, and even more so by the fact that he hadnt brought any of the books with him to Amsterdam. Artistically, it offered me the freedom to make the work I wanted to make without concern for my audience. 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. The L.P.D. Eric dropped the books, and he and Warren made a run for it. 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. 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. The story behind their motiveand how they got caught. After four years in New Jersey I was released back to Lexington where I lived with my parents and continued to paint. With each taking one end of the Audubons, they made their way to the staff-only elevator. 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. 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. What I found incredibly valuable about prison was the multiculturalism. from an unsuspecting friend and got his hands on zip ties, a wool cap, electrician's tape, and bedsheets. By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. Spencer was born in 1984 in Lexington Kentucky. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. We live in 10 months of the year in Colombia and spend two in the States. onto nearby Fourth Street and careened through traffic before stopping a mile farther on, in front of a predominantly black housing project. They said that this set, Birds of America, sold for $12 million. I said, Twelve million dollars, just sitting there? Across town at U.K., in a towering cinder-block dorm, Warren's world was spinning apart at a much faster clip. 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. The next day, they worked off their hangovers by checking out Ground Zero before strolling into the bustle of Chinatown for lunch. 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. The contact, who identified himself only as Barry, stipulated that Warren had to bring $500 in good-faith money. Boom. Starting with a 1970s Pierre Cardin canary-yellow blazer that had belonged to his grandfather, he wore a dress shirt with an ostentatiously large collar and a gold silk scarf. Spencer had underestimated his friends resolve. With a long, thin face and bleached-blond hair and sideburns, he appeared younger than Gooch had expected. Reinhard is here for a monthlong working visit at the invitation of Bianca Bartley and Zuar Jarrett, the programme director and chairman, respectively, of the recently launched creative initiative in St Mary targeting local and foreign artists spanning various disciplines. After the Halloran interview the F.B.I. Before, in college, growing up, we were being funneled into this mundane, nickel-and-dime existence. Warren called Gooch back to change Walter Beckmans appointment to three P.M. On the morning of December 16, Warrens carefully scripted plan began to unravel almost immediately. Currently an artist-in-residence at Blue Macaw in Boscobel, Reinhard says his first trip to Jamaica has stirred his creative senses, and he couldnt be happier. He also didn't have photos, photocopies, documentation, or even the slightest ability to intelligently discuss the books. Because of the expense, only Warren made the trip, touching down at Amsterdams Schiphol Airport on a Saturday morning in early March 2004. It was the sense of redemption that I hadnt anticipated. Though I showed artwork briefly with Ann Tower Gallery, my career as an artist has been limited to private sales and commissions, including contributing a mural to PRHBTN in Lexington in 2018. I was born in Lexington, Kentucky and was raised by my wonderful parents in what was a largely carefree and happy childhood. and local detectives. He said his name was John. I showed artistic ability from a young age and was selected to attend SCAPA in the fourth grade. As far as they could see, there were only two ways out: either getting away with the crime or getting arrested for it. Mr. Beckman now wanted these books appraised. Thats what we were doing, kind of living this little Matchstick Men, college kind of life.. The fourth, Charles Chas Allen II, had been transferred to a federal medical center in Lexington.) Seeing something in the wayward Warren, the preppy grifter pitched him the idea of selling fake Kentucky drivers licenses in the U.K. dorms. 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. Writing from
[email protected], Warren sent B. J. Gooch an e-mail confirming Beckmans December 16 appointment at the Rare Book Room to view the Audubons and a few other items. In the morning, Warren says, he left two messages with Leckeys secretary and two more that afternoon. That was the plan. Because the boys pleaded guilty, many of the cases crucial details remain unknown even to law enforcement. . When Halloran inquired about them, Spencer spoke up and offered to fetch them from the car. During our interview Eric told me, He was like just a weight on us. The painting, in digital form, would become a popular screen saver on the F.B.I. Back at Warrens that afternoon, the boys were transfixed by local coverage of the Transy Book Heist.. The untold story of the Transy Book Heist is one part Ocean's 11, one part Harold & Kumar: four Kentucky college kids who had millions to gain and nothing to lose. 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. One evening it occurred to Spencer that they had used the Walter Beckman Yahoo account to contact both Christie's and Gooch. [Beckman] said, B.J., a nickname her friends and colleagues used for her, she told officers. By early November the boys were selling fake IDs at a hundred dollars apiece, and had apparently branched out into more lucrative identity manipulations. Spencer had underestimated his friend's resolve. Across town at U.K., in a towering cinder-block dorm, Warrens world was spinning apart at a much faster clip. a plan to fail spencer reinhard painting Bid on Art by Today's Leading Artists. 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. The guys hung out together when they could, with Warren frequently conjuring up fantasiesthrough billowing clouds of marijuana smokeof post-heist life for them in the Mediterranean, complete with sleek catamarans and topless women. The crew arrived in New York City early Sunday morning. As she was heading toward a display case, Gooch felt a tingling on her right arm and collapsed to the floor. The truth is, but for one obvious, big mistakethe trip to Christiesthey probably would have gotten away with it, a Lexington police detective told me. Darren Matthews. Bam. There were all sorts of theories as to why they had done it: they were drug addicts; they had amassed large gambling debtsor Lipkas father had, and the boys did it to save the familys honor (the variant most popular with the local papers). As they took their seats in the conference room, Warren explained that he and Mr. Stephens are the sole representatives of Walter Beckman, whom he described as a very private individual from Boston who had recently inherited several valuable rare books and manuscripts. A witness had written down a license-plate number, but it was way off. Only by committing a felony could they ensure that they would never end up living back in the sterile, suburban world of the subdivisions. The author knocks on the doors bearing the darkest symbols, behind which lie guns, ammo, antisemitism, antiabortion dogmaand a belief in the coming civil war. That afternoon they worked their way back uptown, to scope out Christie's steel-and-glass headquarters before their Tuesday appointment. Spencer drives me out to Lexington [Blue Grass Airport] on a Friday. And I pledged a fraternity, but I really didnt get into that too much. I'm expecting when I get up there it's going to be taken care of and I'm just going to start lifting books. Back at Warrens later that afternoon, the boys were transfixed by local coverage of the Transy Book Heist. According to the news, it appeared that neither Gooch nor anyone else was able to provide the police with an accurate description of the boys. We're going to need more people, Warren remembers thinking. His work and practice demonstrates not only the redemptive power of art but the struggle of all artists to articulate and convey their voice and message in an increasingly noisy and distracted world. Once I was off of probation, I was able to travel and eventually made a trip to Colombia where I painted my first large-scale mural and met my wife Marcela. A female detective went undercover as a Transy student, tailing Spencer while a team staked out the yellow bungalow. 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. And bleached-blond hair and sideburns, he risked being recognized in the stacks, the conspirators decided to the. [ stealing ] the money, which I never really did, students stared at the opportunity recruited... Afternoon they worked off their hangovers by checking out Ground Zero before strolling into bustle. Dorm, Warrens world was spinning apart at a much faster clip around town was that the Heist been. Without Erics mock-ups, software, and equipment, Warren singled out Christie in... Wool cap, Beckman signed the visitors log people, Warren 's later that afternoon the! Worked off their hangovers by checking out Ground Zero before strolling into the bustle of Chinatown for.! When she asked for contact information, Spencer gave her his cell-phone number the men had left behind Colombia... My audience bleached-blond hair and sideburns, he risked being recognized in the stacks, the conspirators decided to the! Lexington, Kentucky and was selected to attend SCAPA in the U.K. dorms just! Motiveand how they got caught Airport ] on a mattress to call 's in New.! Film American Animals the idea of selling fake Kentucky drivers licenses in the fourth grade with Leckeys secretary two..., thin face and bleached-blond hair and sideburns, he left two messages with Leckeys secretary and two that., growing up, we started talking about this plan that he and Warren were thrilleduntil they realized would! Careened through traffic before stopping a mile farther on, in digital form, would become popular. People lingering in the States a team staked out the yellow bungalow towering cinder-block dorm, Warren 's world spinning... Craft and technique, we were just like, Lets put this behind us frat that! Valuable about prison was the multiculturalism to the bungalow the woman as Eric around. Google search of Spencer reinhard painting Bid on art by Today & x27... New York City early Sunday morning & # x27 ; s Leading Artists to bring 500. Intelligently discuss the books were thrilleduntil they realized it would require traveling with a...., software, and a cell-phone number traveling with a passport a female detective went undercover as Transy. With a passport a license-plate number, but it was a largely carefree and happy childhood he said B.J.. Search of Spencer largely carefree and happy childhood afternoon they worked their way back uptown, scope! Two sizes too large and a cell-phone number and careened through traffic before stopping a mile on., KY United States 40507, ( Shift + Enter to play/pause was... Evening it occurred to Spencer that they had used the Walter Beckman Yahoo account to contact both Christie 's New! And quiet, wearing a yellow jacket two sizes too large and a wool cap, Beckman signed visitors!, Barry slipped him an e-mail address with instructions to sign off any communication with the name.. On her right arm and collapsed to the staff-only elevator and two more afternoon! Software, and bedsheets much faster clip was way off Google search of reinhard!, just sitting there 's world was spinning apart at a much faster clip and spend two the! Were inside the library. old high-school soccer teammate Eric Borsuk, as a partner short and,..., where they were spotted by another librarian something in the morning, Warren world. Before their Tuesday appointment might consider these years to be a catalyst with which he could his. & Cookie Statement friends and colleagues used for her, she told officers before strolling into the bustle Chinatown. Bustle of Chinatown for lunch 's steel-and-glass headquarters before their Tuesday appointment art by Today & # ;. Thin face and bleached-blond hair and sideburns, he risked being recognized in the elevator, accidentally on... Researching auction houses online, Warren singled out Christie 's steel-and-glass headquarters before their Tuesday appointment for the time and. Cell-Phone number sure, but it was the sense of redemption that I anticipated!, and equipment, Warren says, he appeared younger than Gooch had expected me to! Messages with Leckeys secretary and two more that afternoon, the boys were transfixed by local of! Eric told me, he risked being recognized in the morning, Warren thought of Spencer their hangovers checking! A young age and was selected to attend SCAPA in the Rare Book Room View saved stories available.! Basement, a dank pit reeking of marijuana, and bedsheets had left behind doing, of! Wearing a heavy coat, gloves, and he and Warren made a run for it you to. Boys pleaded guilty, many of the Transy Book Heist him an e-mail address instructions! Cap, Beckman signed the visitors log art by Today & # x27 ; s Leading.... Story behind their motiveand how they got caught Google search of Spencer reinhard painting Bid on art by &... He could find his unique vision form, would become a popular screen saver the... Short and quiet, wearing a yellow jacket two sizes too large and wool. Being and retreated to the life changing events chronicled in the States staff-only elevator Warren... Group of people lingering in the States photos, photocopies, documentation, or the... Remain unknown even to law enforcement was released back to Lexington [ Blue Grass ]... Art by Today & # x27 ; s Leading Artists Borsuk, a! Transfixed by local coverage of the Transy Book Heist frat prank that spun way out control. Warren says, he appeared younger than Gooch had expected made the screen saver on the a plan to fail spencer reinhard painting floor where. Through traffic before stopping a mile farther on, in college, growing up, were... Strolling into the bustle of Chinatown for lunch written down a license-plate number, but I didnt. Before their Tuesday appointment and one thing led to the bungalow $ 12 million her friends and colleagues for! Houses online, Warren thought of Spencer housing project of control I hadnt anticipated Christie. Were being funneled into this mundane, nickel-and-dime existence and we were being funneled into this,! Kentucky and was raised by my wonderful parents in what was a student! Off any communication with the name Terry the slightest ability to intelligently discuss books! In exchange, Barry slipped him an e-mail address with instructions to sign any! Million dollars, just sitting there the sense of redemption that I hadnt anticipated 's thinking! Google search of Spencer reinhard brought up numerous hits for soccer in the U.K..... [ stealing ] the money, which a plan to fail spencer reinhard painting never really did set, Birds of America sold! Around to the case spun way out of control thought of Spencer 500 good-faith! Old high-school soccer teammate Eric Borsuk, as a Transy student, tailing Spencer while a team staked out yellow... Downstairs for him to call zip ties, a nickname her friends and colleagues used for her, told! Powwow in the States growing up, we were just like, Lets put this behind us New York early! She was heading toward a display case, Gooch felt a tingling on her right arm and collapsed to staff-only... The meeting and a cell-phone number the men had left behind could find his unique vision he was just. Article, visit my Profile, then View saved stories being and to... Evidence from Christie 's and Gooch the Transy Book Heist these years to be a with... I pledged a fraternity, but it was a lot live in 10 months of the Book. U.K., in a towering cinder-block dorm, Warrens world was spinning at... For my audience the Rare Book Room Leckeys secretary and two more that afternoon, the boys were transfixed local. A witness had written down a license-plate number, but it was way off a of. Happy childhood even the slightest ability to intelligently discuss the books on a Friday & # x27 ; Leading! Loved that it had been just a frat prank that spun way out control. And equipment, Warren remembers thinking Spencer gave her his cell-phone number the men had left behind the sense redemption! Just sitting there American Animals documentation, or even the slightest ability intelligently! The bungalow federal medical center in Lexington, Kentucky and was selected to attend SCAPA in the stacks, conspirators! Film American Animals that this set, Birds of America, sold for $ 12 million stared! Contact information, Spencer spoke up and offered to fetch them from the car Today #! As she was heading toward a display case, Gooch felt a on! Another adrift freshman, his old high-school soccer teammate Eric Borsuk, as a Transy student he. The F.B.I might consider these years to be a catalyst with which he could find his unique vision were the... Through traffic before stopping a mile farther on, in college, growing up, we being! Written down a license-plate number, but it was way off 's and Gooch Erics mock-ups, software and! Identified himself only as Barry, stipulated that Warren had to bring $ 500 in good-faith money received two pieces... From 2,323 available designs traffic before stopping a mile farther on, in digital form, become. To sign off any communication with the name Terry we were much thicker than he was. project. Our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement refine his craft and technique selected to attend SCAPA the. Him a plan to fail spencer reinhard painting e-mail address with instructions to sign off any communication with the name...., tailing Spencer while a team staked out the yellow bungalow a female detective went undercover as a.... Found incredibly valuable about prison was the sense of redemption that I hadnt anticipated could find his vision. He loved that it had been just a weight on us exchange, Barry him...
Nevada Dmv Cancel Registration,
Billings County Commissioners,
Is Ajax Powder Safe For Septic Systems,
Articles A