Sunday, March 04, 2007

A stolen Rockwell ...

... has turned up in Steven Spielberg's collection:

"Mr. Spielberg bought the painting, 'Russian Schoolroom,' in 1989 from a legitimate dealer and did not know it was stolen until his staff spotted its image last week on a Federal Bureau of Investigation Web site listing stolen works of art, the [F.B.I.] said in a statement. ... Mr. Spielberg is cooperating and will retain possession of the painting until its 'disposition can be determined,' the bureau said."

The painting, which the F.B.I. says is worth $700,000, was stolen from a Missouri gallery more than 30 years ago. You can see an image here.