In Salzburg, more than 200 golden Mozart statues were stolen in a month

An art installation celebrating Mozart's 270th birthday has taken a serious hit after 210 of its golden statues vanished within a month.

The display opened in Salzburg, Austria, on July 15 with 320 miniature versions of the famous composer scattered around the city, including at his former home and garden. Now just 110 of the original figures remain.

Artist Ottmar Hörl believes the disappearances go beyond visitors simply grabbing an unusual souvenir.

Hörl told Associated Press that he suspects an "organized theft":

The worst thing for an artist is when his work dissolves.

Anyone who wanted a statue legally could have simply waited, since the plan was to sell the figures for around €100 ($114) each once the exhibition wrapped up.

Each polymer statue stands less than 20 inches tall and shows Mozart alongside his dog, Pimperl. Hörl said the design was meant to capture the human side of the musical legend.

I didn't want to do a monument of Mozart. There are already enough of these. But I wanted to show his human side, that he was a normal human being despite his genius.

The Mozarteum Foundation had actually prepared for some losses. Spare statues were held back when the exhibition opened, but there weren't enough to replace all 210 that went missing. Producing more quickly isn't an option either, since the manufacturer is currently on holiday.

Hörl noted that this kind of theft is more common than people might expect when it comes to public art.

That's just the nature of public space. It ranges from destruction to theft. That's just how it is.

Despite losing the majority of its statues, the Salzburg exhibition won't end early. The surviving Mozarts will stay scattered around the city until August 30.