Phase 2 Paintings Stolen From East Village Studio, Police Say

NEW YORK CITY — An East Village art heist began with a brick through a window and ended with the disappearance of three paintings by graffiti artist Phase 2 worth almost $20,000, said police.

The burglar stole the $18,000 paintings from the A2Z in NYC studio on Avenue C and East Fifth Street on Jan. 15 about 3:40 a.m., according to the police and the New York Post.

Phase 2, also known as Michael Lawrence Marrow, was the Bronx artist best known as the pioneer of softies, or bubbled lettering, in the 1970s.

He died in December 2019 from Lou Gehrig's diseases, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, at the age of 64, according to his New York Times obituary.