Two paintings worth around $1million have been stolen in an early-morning art heist at a top Auckland gallery.
Police confirmed thieves struck in a ram-raid attack on Parnell's International Art Centre between 3:30am-4am.
Both paintings were done by Gottfried Lindauer in 1884, known as Chieftainess Ngatai - Raure and Chief Ngatai-Raure and were soon to be auctioned.
Police say they do not know the exact value of the work. The website for the gallery includes a catalogue - estimating the works to be worth around $350,000-$450,000 each.
Building co-owner Henry Hall said when he got the news he instantly feared for the gallery's Lindaeurs.
"There were some beautiful Lindaeurs hanging in the window when I looked in yesterday, so it's quite upsetting," he said.
"I think from what I know it's a pretty rare thing to happen in New Zealand and given that it appears to be some very well known paintings that have been taken, it seems crazy that anyone would take those because they'd be so hard to sell on the market. So you'd expect they'd have to go offshore to get any buyers."
Lindauer was one of the most prolific and best-known painters of Maori subjects along with Charles Frederick Goldie, according the the Auckland Art Gallery's website.
The Czech-born Lindauer trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and migrated to New Zealand in 1874.
The art centre had only been operating at the site for about nine months.
The building had CCTV cameras that were well positioned to have captured the ram raid from the street. He was not sure if there were cameras inside the gallery.
On Parnell Rd this morning, people out jogging or getting their morning coffee stopped amazed at what was clearly a brazen and well organised art heist.
A large window, about 2m by 2m, was completely smashed, with shards of the thick glass strewn across the pavement.
A large beam supporting the window was bent and buckled while the plaster board on the wall behind was badly dented.
A large landscape painting was leaning on the broken window frame - perhaps it was too big to fit in the gap between the broken window and the display wall behind.
Police have recovered the stolen vehicle used in the ram-raid and are now looking for a further vehicle that was seen leaving the scene.
Police are also asking for any information relating to the theft of these two paintings to be reported on 09 3026832, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
