San Francisco Yard Find May Trace to Art Deco Era

A San Francisco backyard dig has turned into an art mystery after a couple uncovered a carved limestone sculpture they believe may connect to the city’s Art Deco era. The find happened in Russian Hill, where Greg Gatwood says his shovel struck something unexpected in May during a routine landscaping project.

Gatwood and his partner, Judy Gitelson, now think the sculpture could be linked to Ralph Stackpole, a major figure in San Francisco art during the 1920s and 1930s. Stackpole created public works that still carry weight in the city’s cultural history, including statues for the old San Francisco Stock Exchange and murals inside Coit Tower. If the piece proves to be an original by Stackpole, or even tied to his circle, it could carry significant value in the art market.

Gatwood said the discovery was unlike anything he had found before. He described it as the most exciting object he has ever unearthed in a yard, adding that he has dug up plenty of things over the years. The couple’s home sits directly across from the former San Francisco Art Institute, and that location quickly shaped their thinking about where the sculpture may have come from.

Gatwood believes there may be a connection between the sculpture and the art school across the street. He noted that Stackpole taught there for years and suggested that either the artist himself or one of his students may have handled the piece at some point. He also raised the possibility that the sculpture had once been displayed as a gift in the yard before it fell from a wooden pedestal and was swallowed by overgrown brush.