Two paintings worth more than $10,000 collectively have been stolen from a gallery on View Street, Bendigo.
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The artworks from the Llanvair.H.R Gallery were stolen late on Monday night, along with an eftpos machine and a notebook containing the details of clients.
"It is a worry," gallery owner and artist Helena Richardson-Collins said. "I haven't been able to tell the clients because I no longer have their contact details."
Ms Richardson-Collins said she could not understand why the items - in particular her two paintings of the Coliban river - were stolen.
"Why would they take two on the same subject?" she said. "They didn't randomly pick any of the other paintings of Sydney or France or wherever.
"They took these two specific pieces. They rummaged through and took paperwork, but they didn't touch anything else."
The gallery features artwork from Ms Richardson-Collins, as well as designer garments made of silk and wool.
The two paintings had only been painted and showcased in the store within the past few months.
"These paintings have been pinpointed," she said.
"They must have been picked out because otherwise they would have picked any of the other paintings or trashed something else."
Ms Richardson-Collins said the only damage to the property was a broken front door.
"The door was a complete mess," she said. "They massacred the door. It's obviously not kids because they would have had to be pretty solid men to do that.
"There was wood all over the floor and it would have taken more than one man to jammy that door open."
Ms Richardson-Collins, who also worked in Melbourne, has sold her artwork through the gallery for more than 10 years. She said it was the first time there had been a theft at the property.
"I just want the public to be aware that this has happened, which is pretty rare," Ms Richardson-Collins said.
"I have had a gallery for many years and this has never happened before.
"It's a bit of a shock but all I can say to the people who stole the paintings is that they've got jolly good taste."
Ms Richardson-Collins said police were notified immediately of the theft and did investigate the scene.
Police were unable to provide any update on the state of the case.
Ms Richardson-Collins said she does not expect the paintings to be returned, but has urged anyone with information about the theft to contact the Bendigo Police Station on 5448 1300 or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
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