The sculpture is a large 90-pound bronze piece worth about $ 45,000, part of the “Vessels” series, hand-made by artist Marie Khouri based in BC. The piece was installed outside one of the hospital entrances outside Oak Street a few days before it was taken.
Malcolm Berry, president and CEO of the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, said nighttime security footage showed a man removing the statue, which was attached to a pedestal, before whistling it to a doll.
The flowers were to be planted around the base of the pedestal in the coming weeks to create a space for patients and families to sit.
The sculpture was originally donated to the BC Children’s Hospital by artist Marie Khouri in 2019, which we saw here and was later purchased by a donor who donated it back to the hospital. (BC Children’s Hospital)
“It’s just painful. I feel sorry for the patients and the families and our staff who will not be able to enjoy it,” he said.
“Art plays such an integral role in the environment that we want to create. In this case, we had a beautiful sculpture designed to create a healing garden where people could sit for five minutes. It is very sad that we will not have the benefit of this experience for the people “.
The statement said the sculpture was originally donated to the BC Children’s Hospital by Khouri in 2019 and was purchased by a donor who donated it back to the hospital.
Vancouver police said in a statement that the theft was still under investigation.
