Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is reeling after an FBI investigation discovered his Norman Rockwell painting had been stolen from a gallery over three decades ago. The director bought "Russian Schoolroom" from a dealer in 1989 and was alerted to its background when one of his employees saw the painting on an FBI Web site that listed stolen artworks. After the FBI was alerted, an investigation concluded last week and its authenticity was confirmed Friday. The painting was stolen from the Clayton Art Gallery in Clayton, Missouri, in the late 1970s. Spielberg's spokesman, Marvin Levy, says, "(Spielberg is) certainly one of the collectors of Rockwell. We have a few in our office on the Universal lot." The New York City-born artist died in November 1978 of emphysema.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Stolen Rockwell Painting Found at Spielberg's Home
Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is reeling after an FBI investigation discovered his Norman Rockwell painting had been stolen from a gallery over three decades ago. The director bought "Russian Schoolroom" from a dealer in 1989 and was alerted to its background when one of his employees saw the painting on an FBI Web site that listed stolen artworks. After the FBI was alerted, an investigation concluded last week and its authenticity was confirmed Friday. The painting was stolen from the Clayton Art Gallery in Clayton, Missouri, in the late 1970s. Spielberg's spokesman, Marvin Levy, says, "(Spielberg is) certainly one of the collectors of Rockwell. We have a few in our office on the Universal lot." The New York City-born artist died in November 1978 of emphysema.