By Chris Falcone

A bizarre story reminiscent of a David Copperfield stunt surfaced when a 3,000-pound piece of art seemingly vanished into thin air.

The mammoth statute, which was in the process of being prepared to ship to the University for permanent residence, was later found in the possession of a scrap dealer from the Bronx.

“We are relieved that it has been returned and we look forward to its arrival here at the University,” said David Christman, director of the museum.

The bronze sculpture, “Ides of March,” by Philip Pavia was stolen from the Hippodrome in New York City, where it had resided since 1988. The sculpture spent the previous 25 years at the entrance of the New York Hilton, according to an article in the New York Times.

The reason for the move to campus was the renovation of the Hippodrome building from offices into what will be eventually condominiums, leaving the artwork without a place to call home. The

University’s name arose when fellow artist and sculptor Paul Jenkins, who already has work displayed at the University, told Pavia about the campus and its high reputation for caring for its artwork, Christman

said. An agreement was reached and the University became the intended recipient. The piece, a 1962 four part bronze statue of enigmatic diamond shapes with a low lying connecting arm was considered one of the artist’s favorite works. However, while being held in a storage area in preparation for its move to the University as a gift, three of the four pieces turned up missing. Pavia chose to name it after his March 15 birthday and compared its loss as a death in the family.

“It’s not the easiest thing to pick up and take away,” said Doug Sarini, spokesman for the Hippodrome. As administrators from the University were prepping for the arrival of the work, they had made two trips to the Hippodrome to inspect the piece. On returning for the second inspection on March 26, they discovered it to be one-fourth of its original self, Christman said.

With only one piece remaining and authorities baffled as to the whereabouts of the missing pieces, a scrap dealer appeared on the scene and was caught trying to takethe last piece from the Hippodrome. A few days later another scrap dealer from the Bronx returned the three missing pieces to police after learning that they had been reported stolen. He then notified authorities of who had sold him the stolen property, which is currently under investigation.

The University accepted the gift on behalf of the museum and was awaiting the arrival of the prized art when word of its disappearance became known.

The arrival date, however, is still in question as the piece undergoes needed repairs. One part of the repairs is due to he theft, Christman said, while the rest of the repairs are due to the age of the piece.

“After forty plus years you could say it needs a little tune-up,” he said.

Pavia was considered a figurehead of the mid-century avant garde, according to the New York Times article and was said to be heartbroken over the work’s disappearance. Speaking on behalf of her 94-year-old husband, Natalie Edgar expressed relief over the recovery of Pavia’s work, known as his masterpiece, “which he called a piece of beauty and a piece of New York.”

“It certainly adds to the beauty of the campus and the visual landscape here,” Melissa Connolly, assistant vice president of University Relations, who is a fan of the numerous pieces of art on campus, said. “It aids Hofstra as an arboretum and brings life to the campus as a place for reflection and study.”