In August 1998, the Auckland Art Gallery was the scene of this country's first major art theft. An armed man burst in, threatening visitors and assaulting a security guard before making off with the 19th century painting Still on Top by French artist James Tissot worth around $2 million. Visitor Experience Manager Richard Wormley was on duty in the gallery when it happened.

In August 1998, the Auckland Art Gallery was the scene of this country's first major art theft. An armed man burst in, threatening visitors and assaulting a security guard before making off with the 19th century painting Still on Top by French artist James Tissot, worth around $2 million. Visitor Experience Manager Richard Wormley was on duty in the gallery when it happened.

"One of the security guards was requesting assistance because he could see somebody trying to remove an artwork from the wall. When I came around the corner, I could see that it wasn't quite that simple."

The man was carrying a weapon and had just used it to assault a security guard. A visitor in the gallery with the gunman immediately rang the police. Richard retreated and he and his staff began moving the public into side galleries, away from a likely escape route through the foyer.

"By the time I had cleared the foyer and turned around, he was pretty much right behind me."

With the weapon pointed at him, Richard was ordered to get down on the ground. After the gunman exited the front doors, Richard and the visitor who had rung the police followed him around to the rear of the building.

"He turned around and fired a shot over our heads into the trees in Albert Park. At which point we both hit the ground pretty quick."

The gunman escaped on a motorbike clutching the painting under one arm. Only four minutes had passed since the drama began. Conservator Sarah Hillary was working upstairs in her lab when she got a phone call from the head of security. "He rang me up and said, 'Sarah, something terrible has happened.'

A confused Sarah made her way to the gallery to examine the scene and to determine any damage to a painting she assumed was still there. But it wasn't. It was gone.

As well as distressing, the theft was confusing for both gallery staff and police. On the surface, it did not seem like the work of highly professional art thieves, stealing to order. Richard Wormley said he could not even imagine a reason for the crime.

"I struggled to see how you could turn that work into a profit. It was really hard to understand what had been going through the thief's' head."

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Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details