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The Art of the Steal 

Harcourts Gallery was at the center of S.F.'s serious art scene for decades. Now, with serious money missing, the gallery's at the center of a criminal investigation.

Wednesday, Mar 12 1997
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In February, Assistant District Attorney Harry Dorfman sent letters to creditors listed in Harcourts' bankruptcy files, asking them to call with information. Eagle-Smith, the former curator, was interviewed by a district attorney's investigator. Stephen Banks was scheduled for an investigative interview.

Despite the absent people, missing money, and official heat, Banks' associates say they still don't understand all the fuss.

"It's not sensational, [n]or was it premeditated," says Eagle-Smith.
"It's not newsworthy, and it should be put to rest," says Stephen Banks.
But Rachel Adler, owner of the Rachel Adler Gallery, a New York City gallery seeking a $137,000 payment from Harcourts, has a less simplistic read.

"I have always suspected something," she says. "This is one of those cases in which, if someone dies, you'll want to open that coffin, just to make sure.

About The Author

Chuck Finnie

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