Tuesday: Valuable Elvis painting, put in driveway to welcome guests, goes missing

A Washington County resident hosting a fundraiser decided that mounting his Elvis Presley painting on a saw horse at the end of his driveway would be a welcoming touch for his arriving guests.

A thief came, too.

The painting by Peter Bue, known for his murals outside Twin Cities restaurants, coffee shops and stores, disappeared on the evening of Jan. 30. Owner Jon Kittelsen told the Washington County Sheriff's Office that the painting is valued at $15,000, said Sgt. Andrew Ellickson.

Bue, known as Fucci, died in June 2005. His wife, Laura Kroeten-Bue, said Monday that he was a prolific artist.

"He definitely painted Elvis," she said, noting that her husband painted at least one full-body portrait of the legendary rock and roll singer and at least three head portraits, all in acrylic.

Kittlesen's wife, Heather, said Monday night that the stolen painting was a depiction of Presley's face in the 1950s movie "King Creole." She said her husband and Bue were friends, and Bue had autographed the painting for him.

Jon Kittlesen is a big Elvis fan and owns two other Elvis paintings by Bue, she said.

They recently moved to a West Lakeland Township hobby farm and Jon knew people could find their house if they saw the painting, Heather Kittlesen said.

"When they see Elvis and a Fucci painting, they know where Jon is," she said.

Peter Bue painted at least a dozen murals in the Uptown area of Minneapolis and many more inside coffee shops.

Heather Kittlesen said Bue liked to paint pop icons from the 1940s, '50s and '60s. She said the missing painting was black and white, about 4 feet by 2 feet, and couldn't have been mistaken as something thrown out at the curb.

"People don't just throw away Elvis," she said.

Kroeten-Bue said that her family is making new discoveries of her husband's work, including sketchbooks that date to 1969 and sculptures they didn't know he'd done. She's trying to assemble his work for a show.

Ellickson said he doubts someone was driving around looking for an Elvis painting to steal. "It's probably just a crime of opportunity," he said.

He asked that anyone with knowledge of the case call the Sheriff's Office at 651-439-9381.

Kevin Giles • 651-298-1554