NEW ORLEANS — It's part of the New Orleans culture and landscape, seeing all the artists and musical talent throughout the French Quarter.
And this isn't the first time we've reported on a French Quarter artist being the victim of theft. And it is theft that affects their everyday livelihood.
“This is the most creative city in America probably. Everybody's trying to express themselves,” said Freddie Szilagi.
At 59 years old, Freddie Szilagi finally feels like he's made it in life.
“Recently I've obtained my permit to sell in the French Quarter. So, I feel like a legitimate artist now. So, I'm selling in Pirate's Alley and doing well with it.”
The former New York City graffiti artist took one trip to the Crescent City decades ago and never left.
“I met a girl, a woman, who worked at Café du Monde 35 years ago. I knew her for three days and I moved here. She was covered in powdered sugar Meg, so I couldn't resist her,” he remembers.
They got married and live in Tremé. And that setting inspires all of his paintings, the highs and lows, joys and despair of everyday people there.
“The truth is I wouldn't live anywhere else. I love it. It's just, it's funky. It's funny. It's human. My neighbors are good people,” Szilagi said.
And that brings us to what happened Thursday night on Governor Nichols Street.
Freddie uses an old bike, that took him hours to hand paint, to get to and from work in the French Quarter. Bolted on the back was a trailer. His children gave it to him for Father's Day to carry his works of art.
Thursday night in the rain, instead of moving it to the backyard as usual, he bolted it in front of his house.
Friday morning, he came out to a padlock that had been cut open.
“It's impossible to park in the French Quarter. So, it allowed me to carry all my artwork,"Szilagi said.
"So, it's really heartbreaking. I'm trying to get this going as my last career, and to have that as a really great tool, it was a gift from my children. So, it's heartbreaking on a lot of levels," he said.
Now Freddie says on an artist's salary he really doesn't have reward money to give for the return of his bike and trailer, but maybe if someone brought it back, a piece of art would be negotiable.
No neighborhood cameras caught the theft. He plans to report it to NOPD, and while there are neighbors moving out of the area, he still plans to stay right where he is in Tremé.
“It's full of history. It just feels like a living, breathing place,” he said.
If you know anything about the painted bike and trailer, you can call NOPD, or you can leave Freddie a message about his bike here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GhostfaceGallery
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