Part of a bronze sculpture worth hundreds of thousands of dollars has been stolen from outside the CSIRO headquarters in Canberra.
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Il Grande Ascolto (The Great Listening) was sculpted by Italian artist Arnaldo Pomodoro and according to his website it's one of just two of his sculptures on permanent public display in Australia.
The sculpture has been in-situ near the main CSIRO building on Limestone Avenue, Campbell since 1970, and consists of two large bronze discs, approximately 80cm in diameter, mounted beside each other on a bronze base, facing opposite directions.
The artist's website describes the sculpture as associated with satellite dishes "which we see today on the roofs and balconies of the houses of our cities".
It was designed during the period of teaching as artist-in-residence at Stanford University in California in 1966. The artist was profoundly impressed by the large radio-telescope that dominated the campus, and the work "contains a specific reference to the element technology and communication".
A staff member noticed one of the bronze discs missing and alerted management. The crime is believed to have occurred between 9pm on Thursday and 3pm on Friday.
Pomodoro's Sfera con Sfera, or Sphere within a Sphere, can be seen outside the United Nation's headquarters in New York, the Vatican Museums and Trinity College in Dublin. He also made Forme del Mito (Forms of Myth), which is outside Brisbane City Hall.
ACT Policing is calling for anyone with information about the sculpture to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at act.crimestoppers.com.au.