NEW ORLEANS — Beloved New Orleans artist Richard Thomas is facing weeks of cleanup after thieves broke into his longtime St. Claude Avenue studio, ransacked his work, and stripped the building of copper and roof vents.
Thomas, 71, said he discovered the destruction when he returned to the studio earlier this month with a contractor.
“I was faced with all of this disaster — prints thrown on the floor, art stolen, even pieces from my students,” Thomas told WWL Louisiana. “They went into every room, every drawer, and threw things to the floor. They got in through the back window… and they fixed the lock so they could come and go at will.”…