Amateur artist charged with $80,000 Minneapolis studio theft
Ricardo Andres Bassat, an amateur artist charged with felony burglary, is accused of stealing about $80,000 worth of artwork from Minneapolis painter Leon Hushcha’s North Loop studio. Police recovered 14 paintings from a St. Paul storage unit; an alleged accomplice remains at large, and Bassat is due in Hennepin County District Court Monday.
Key Takeaways
- Bassat, 56, faces felony burglary charges tied to a June 2 studio break-in.
- Surveillance captured two people moving art with a cart and a UPS vest.
- Police recovered 14 paintings, valued at about $60,000, from a St. Paul storage unit.
- Four paintings and 80 prints remain missing; recovered frames were badly damaged.
- Hushcha will exhibit the recovered works, with police evidence tags, starting September 17.
What happened at the Minneapolis painter’s studio?
According to Robb Report, the burglary took place early on June 2 at the studio of 80-year-old artist Leon Hushcha in Minneapolis’s North Loop. Surveillance footage showed two people arriving around 6:45 a.m. with an empty cart. One wore a UPS vest.
About 30 minutes later, they left pushing the cart, now loaded and covered with a black sheet. The stolen haul included paintings, prints, and handmade platters valued at roughly $80,000. For collectors following studio and home security stories in our Luxury Real Estate & Dream Homes coverage, the case is a stark reminder that valuable art collections can be targeted even in working studios.
How was the amateur artist charged with the theft identified?
A tipster later identified the man in the UPS vest as Ricardo Andres Bassat and told police he rented a storage unit in St. Paul. Officers searched the unit on July 1 and found 14 of Hushcha’s paintings inside a large black Pelican protective case.
Also in the locker was a portfolio of sketches signed “Bassat,” plus mail bearing his name. Court records described Bassat as an “amateur artist who is familiar with different styles of artwork.” Minneapolis police say they are still seeking his alleged accomplice.
Bassat was charged by summons with felony burglary and is scheduled to appear in Hennepin County District Court on Monday. Court records did not list an attorney for him, and the Minnesota Star Tribune reported it had been unable to reach him for comment. His criminal history includes convictions for assault with a dangerous weapon and misdemeanor theft.
What did the victim say, and what happens to the art next?
Hushcha, who has spent more than 60 years making abstract and figurative works in the Twin Cities, told the Star Tribune he believed Bassat “was trying to be an artist himself.” Studio assistant Carley Novak called finding Bassat’s own work mixed with Hushcha’s “the cherry on top” of the alleged heist, adding that Bassat’s pieces were “not terrible” but “definitely not a Leon Hushcha.”
The 14 recovered paintings are estimated at $60,000. Four paintings and 80 prints are still missing. The returned canvases were intact, but Novak said their frames looked “tattered and beaten up,” as if they had been thrown around.
Hushcha and Novak plan to turn part of the ordeal into an exhibition. Recovered works go on view at his studio beginning September 17, still bearing the evidence tags police attached after recovery. Hushcha said that if those responsible had apologized and returned the art, he would have forgiven them—and that the episode is a lesson for artists to secure how they house their work.