HELL’S KITCHEN — A man walked out of grand opening party for gym impresario David Barton's latest venture with a $20,000 work of art that was hanging on the wall — but returned the piece a little more than a week later after being cajoled by Barton's ex-wife on Instagram, according to police and social media.
A gym employee told police that the pricey print of Madonna — from the cover of the June 1990 issue of Interview Magazine — was hanging on a wall at Barton’s new gym TMPL at 355 W. 49th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues during the party around 11 a.m. on March 22.
At some point after the event, the employee noticed the print was missing and he reported the theft to police around 6:35 p.m. on March 29, the NYPD said.
A review of security footage from the gym showed a man strolling out of the soirée with the painting, police said.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, nightlife fixture Susanne Bartsch, Barton's one-time wife, successfully implored the thief to bring the print back.
“The opening party was so fabulous that a patron mistook this piece of lobby art for a parting gift,” she wrote. “Please return it no questions asked.”
“Again were [sic] not mad… just MADONNA, and we need her back!!!” she added.
If the work of art was still missing within a week, “footage [would] be posted requesting the patron’s identity and the matter [would] be placed in the hands of the NYPD,” she said.
A day later, Bartsch posted that the Madonna print had been returned.
“Thank you all for your incredible help and thank YOU for returning it to us… I know who you are good karma is yours baby,” she wrote.
Managers at the gym did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
