Steven Spielberg reports stolen Rockwell painting to FBI (Looks like he's out $700,000)

[Ian David]

Spielberg Unknowingly Bought Stolen Art

Associated Press | Posted March 3, 2007 09:32 AM

"Russian Schoolroom," a Rockwell painting stolen from a gallery in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton, Mo., more than three decades ago, was found in Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg's art collection, the FBI announced Friday.

Spielberg purchased the painting in 1989 from a legitimate dealer and didn't know it was stolen until his staff spotted its image last week on an FBI Web site listing stolen works of art, the bureau said in a statement.

After Spielberg's staff brought it to the attention of authorities, an FBI agent and an art expert from the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino inspected the painting at one of Spielberg's offices and confirmed its authenticity Friday morning. Early FBI estimates put the painting's value at $700,000, officials said.

"The second anybody said, 'I think we have that painting,' (our) office got a hold of the FBI," said Spielberg's spokesman, Marvin Levy.

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070303/stolen-art-rockwell


Special Agent Frank Brostrom, then regional coordinator of the FBI's Art Crime Team, points out a few features on a reproduction of Norman Rockwell's painting "Russian Schoolroom," that was stolen in 1973, at the FBI headquarters in St. Louis, on March 30, 2006. The FBI has recovered a painting that looks to be the Rockwell work stolen from suburban St. Louis more than three decades ago. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

[spanone]

1. They just reported on MSNBC that he gets to keep the painting.

[pitohui]

12. that doesn't seem right to me

you have no right to stolen property, if you or i had the painting, we would have to give it up and we would not be entitled to any money back

tax write-off, another poster says? ha, your tax write-off is that you are not prosecuted (as you could be) for receiving stolen property

i don't think spielberg is guilty of any crime but no one else in his shoes gets to keep the painting

[RC]

2. Sounds like a tax write off to me.

Or maybe not. How does he get to keep it?

[Solo_in_MD]

4. What I read is that he is being allowed to keep it until the legal owner is intendified

Reasonable under the circumstance

[pitohui]

14. you don't get a tax write off for receiving stolen property EOM

.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

3. $700K To Speilberg Is Like 7 Cents For Most Of Us nt

[Shell Beau]

11. I think even extremely rich people feel that is a lot of money.

And it is. I could never own a painting of that value, but still I would hate to have been screwed out of $20. It sucks!

[1932]

5. he can sue the dealer

[xultar]

6. I'd crawl up in that dealers ass and pitch a tent and stay a while.

[Downtown Hound]

7. I think Spielberg will survive.

Good for him for reporting it though.

[Ms_Dem_Meanor]

8. Didn't

Picasso's granddaughter just get robbed either early this week or last week for two paintings? :shrug: One was of her mother as a little girl and the other was Picasso's second wife.

:wtf: is going on!!!

[RC]

9. Why is this in the Lounge now?

[Radio_Lady]

10. RC, the moderators of these forums have the right to move threads anywhere they see fit.

Get used to it. If I were running the show, I would certainly think this is a General Discussion worthy topic. Did the original poster (OP) put it in GD, and did it get shifted, or what???

Light-hearted, movie or entertainment related, weird or fantasy stuff, celebrity gossip, or any "news" not easily categorized... usually ends up in the Lounge.

IMHO, it's useless to try and argue about it. I've never been a moderator but that is what I've observed over the past few years. Good people run this site and they are trying to make the best decisions they can moment to moment.

Thanks for your comment.

[pitohui]

13. art, music, photography etc. usually discussed in lounge

i'm guessing it was to make it easier for people interested in that sort of focus to find the thread

[Deja Q]

15. An episode of 'All in the Family' had Mike saying if you bought stolen property, you're complicit.

Of course, that's 30 years ago but has that quaint law changed?

(the episode I refer to is, if I recall, the episode entitled "The Hot Watch" where Archie buys a stolen watch, it breaks, and he wants to get it repaired much to Mike's horror :D ...)

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

16. I don't watch tv to get legal advice

I only watch to get medical advice. I learned how to do major surgery from re-runs of MASH and Young Frankenstein.

:rofl: