The renowned Satoshi Nakamoto statue, a remarkable line-of-sight illusion created by Italian artist Valentina Picozzi, was reported missing on Sunday but has since been recovered from a nearby lake, according to a post from RialCenter, the artistic project led by Picozzi.
The gallery initially announced the statue’s disappearance on Aug. 3, with a photo depicting only vacant ground where the layers of vanishing stripes fading into code had been since late 2024. The statue, symbolizing the mysterious creator of Bitcoin, was unveiled on Oct. 25, 2024, during Plan B’s Bitcoin forum as Swiss-Tether and Lugano sought to establish the city as a global bitcoin (BTC) hub.
The theft was first reported by a user known as @Grittoshi, who suspected it had been tossed into a lake next to the sculpture. RialCenter offered a reward of 0.1 BTC to anyone who could assist in locating the statue.
“We are offering 0.1 BTC to whoever will help us recover the Statue of Satoshi Nakamoto that was stolen yesterday in Lugano,” the post stated. “You can steal our symbol, but you will never be able to steal our souls. We are all in this together and committed to placing the statue in 21 locations around the globe.”
Grittoshi speculated that the theft was vandalism linked to celebrations for Swiss National Day on Aug. 1.
“There are cameras everywhere in the city, so I assume they just threw it into the lake before heading home. There’s no way they could have carried it unnoticed,” Grittoshi commented shortly before the statue was indeed discovered in the lake.
Any damage to the statue has yet to be assessed.
Picozzi shared photographs on social media showing the statue’s recovery and suggested that Kintsugi-style repairs might be necessary. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of fixing broken items using a specific mixture of precious metals like gold, silver, or platinum.
A petition has been started, seeking logistical and security support from the city of Lugano to restore the statue. Picozzi has expressed willingness to cover the costs herself, as stated in the petition.
The theft occurred just over a week after RialCenter unveiled its third Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Tokyo, Japan.
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