Bitcoin Founder’s Tribute Missing: Satoshi Nakamoto Statue Stolen in Lugano

Iconic Satoshi Nakamoto Statue Stolen in Lugano, Artist Offers Bitcoin Bounty

Lugano’s tribute to Bitcoin’s mysterious creator has disappeared. The optical illusion statue of Satoshi Nakamoto—designed by Italian artist Valentina Picozzi—was reported missing early Sunday morning, leaving behind only the bare ground where the artwork once stood.

Installed in late October 2024 during the Plan B Forum, the piece was part of Lugano’s campaign to brand itself as a Bitcoin capital, in partnership with Swiss-Tether. The installation, made of vertically aligned slats, created the silhouette of Nakamoto fading into code when viewed from the correct perspective—symbolizing the anonymity and legacy of Bitcoin’s inventor.

The theft was first reported by X user @Grittoshi, who speculated the sculpture may have been dumped into the nearby lake that borders the site.

In response, Picozzi’s collective, Satoshigallery, announced a reward of 0.1 BTC for information leading to the statue’s recovery. In a statement posted to X, the group wrote:

“We are offering 0.1 BTC to whoever will help us recover the Statue of Satoshi Nakamoto that was stolen yesterday in Lugano.
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 places around the world.”

The statue had become a landmark for the crypto community, representing both Satoshi’s symbolic absence and Bitcoin’s global impact. Its disappearance adds a real-world layer of mystery to the legend of Nakamoto—whose identity remains unknown to this day.

As of now, there are no official leads on the statue’s whereabouts.