Spielberg And Stolen Art

Director Steven Spielberg is a huge fan of the American painter Norman Rockwell and owns several of his pieces, including one that was stolen from a St. Louis, Missouri gallery 30 years ago. The Oscar winner had no idea the painting "Russian Schoolroom" was stolen until his staff brought it to his attention after spotting it on the FBI Art Crime Team's website. The piece, which shows children in a classroom with a bust of communist leader Vladimir Lenin, is valued at approximately $700,000 (U.S.). Spielberg is co-operating with authorities and will maintain ownership of the art until its "disposition can be determined," the FBI said. Its authenticity was confirmed by art experts Friday morning. The director bought the painting in 1989 from a legitimate art dealer. The canvas was stolen from a Rockwell exhibition in Missouri decades ago and there was no sign of it for years until it showed up at an auction in New Orleans in 1988. It then went up for sale at a Rockwell exhibit in New York a year later. It's not known if that's where Spielberg bought it. Spielberg is a huge fan and collector of Rockwell's work. He founded the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass. The painter was known for capturing everyday moments in American life on canvas and more than 300 of his works appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. He died in 1978 at the age of 84. Irish Art