Muse кафе в центрі Кошице. (source: Korzár/Elena Danková)
The art scene in Košice has been roiled in recent days by the reported theft of an important artwork from a public café by none other than the dean of the local university's art faculty.
The curious series of events began to unfold on Monday afternoon (March 4) when the painting went missing from the Muse Café on Hlavná Street, the main street in Košice's historical centre, the Korzár daily reported.
In security camera footage, a man can be seen casually removing the small painting from the café's wall as he walks past, before leaving soon afterwards. The café's owners noticed that the artwork was missing about half an hour after its removal.
After posting the surveillance video online and asking the public for help in identifying the thief, the finger of suspicion quickly turned towards Tibor Uhrín, the dean of the Faculty of Arts at Košice's Technical University (TUKE). The café owners later met Uhrín at a police station and, after a conversation, agreed to withdrew their criminal complaint.
He returned the painting, apologised and described the artwork's removal as part of a "bet".
However, later, in an online post addressed to students, he portrayed the painting's removal as a "happening," a term used in the art world to describe a type of improvised, staged event or performance. There is no evidence that the act was recorded in any other form than on the café's security video.
The café owners were less than impressed by this explanation, expressing their dismay at what they saw as an attempt to downplay the incident as a "performance" and emphasising that the stolen painting, by renowned artist Herta Viktorín Ondrušová, was of considerable value.
Art theft sparks dispute and ongoing investigation
A claim by the dean that he was unaware of the artwork's origin also prompted doubts among the café owners, given his background in the arts.
Herta Viktorín Ondrušová's paintings are highly regarded and works of the type taken are typically valued at around €1,000. The artist, known locally as "Lady Mozaiková," contributed significantly to Košice's artistic landscape with her mosaic works.
The café owners called for a more sincere acknowledgment from the dean, who, in turn, maintained that the incident was misunderstood and said he was trying to address concerns among students.
The rector of TUKE, to which the Faculty of Arts belongs, did not respond to a request by Korzár for comment; the university later confirmed that an ad hoc ethics committee was being appointed.
When the daily reached Dean Uhrín he insisted that no crime had occurred and that the incident had been a "happening" based on a "fictitious concept".
"I want to point out that no one was hurt and I didn't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to say more about it," he stated, asking: "Why do you want to write about this?”
A painting taken by the dean without consent. (source: Korzár/Elena Danková)
An artwork by Herta Viktorín Ondrušová in Košice. (source: Korzár/Elena Danková)
Resignation
The faculty condemned the ex-dean's behaviour.
Uhrín, who has worked at the faculty for more than 20 years, resigned several days after the scandal.
"I apologise to everyone, I'm very sorry, and I'm stepping down as dean," the ex-dean said on March 11, as quoted by Korzár.
He admitted that he was a troublemaker but refused to be called a thief, calling his action "probably the biggest mistake of my life" and "nonsense" he couldn't explain.
It's not clear if he will continue teaching at the faculty. If he was sacked by the faculty, the design study programme would most likely end.
In 1993, Uhrín designed the children's construction kit Gringo, for which he won the main prize in the competition of the Slovak Design Centre - Good Design, and which is still produced today. He creates interior design accessories and objects for dining.
