Director Spielberg Unknowingly Becomes Raider of Lost Art
Or, another way Fine Art Registry matters so much
It happens to the rich and famous, and it can happen to you. That must have addition to your art collection, purchased in good faith and good spirits from a reputable dealer, could one day cause your name to be blazoned in the headlines and bring the FBI knocking at your door.

Director Steven Spielberg experienced this early in March. His staff discovered that a Norman Rockwell painting he had owned for nearly two decades had in fact been heisted from a Missouri gallery more than thirty years ago.

The painting, Rockwell's "Russian Schoolroom", was stolen from a Rockwell exhibit in the 1970s and disappeared. In 1988, it turned up at an auction in New Orleans, following which Mr. Spielberg purchased it from a reputable dealer in 1989.

The listing of the piece as "stolen" on the FBI's Art Crime page came to the attention of Spielberg's staff, who reported it immediately to the FBI. Spielberg said he was "horrified" at the discovery.

Now, as every FAR® member knows, none of this would have happened if the piece had been tagged with a FAR seal and registered in the FAR secure database. Simple!

But, it wasn’t tagged and registered.
Its provenance was lost.
It was forgotten.
Until the FBI re-opened the case in 2004.

Even so, wouldn't there have been anyone connected with the Rockwell legacy who knew of the theft and would be on the lookout for the piece?

What about a founder of the new Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts? Mightn't he have had an inkling that this painting was missing?

What about a Trustee on the Board of the Norman Rockwell Museum? A likely candidate to have access to records regarding the painting’s disappearance, surely.

Well, in a better world yes. But the truth is that the man who contributed to the founding of the Norman Rockwell Museum, and who now sits on its Board of Directors, is none other than Mr. Steven Spielberg himself.

In spite of his close involvement with Rockwell's work, he wasn't privy to the records of the piece. For they didn't exist.

If this well-respected and well intentioned collector could find himself involved in this confusion and criminality, the dark mire of the art world is deep, indeed.

Leave the headlines to the celebrities.

Insist that all your pieces are tagged and registered with FAR.

Artist of the Month, Anna Kurowska

America can still be a land of opportunity, if you ask painter Anna Kurowska. Growing up in the small city of Ozorkow in central Poland, Anna did not have much hope of attending art school. But she has achieved her dream in the Silicon Valley. Read her full story and see her colorful paintings here.

Piece of the Month
Searing eyes penetrate the beholder of this sleek and dangerous predator, portrayed in values of green and blue acrylic on canvas. "Blue Panther" was created by an amazing young autistic man from Columbia.

Sign up your friends with FAR and we'll reward you!
We are happy to announce the new FAR Expansion Award! Just sign your friends, fellow artists and collectors up as FAR members.

We will award you $10 in cash for every person you get signed up as a paid FAR member!

To receive your award, make sure they type your name in the "How did you find out about FAR?" box of the registration form.

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