Spielberg's art headache

Remember when he blew the whistle on a stolen Norman Rockwell painting from his own collection? Well, it's turning into a real mess because two art dealers claim they owned the painting before Spielberg bought it - and they want it back. The 1967 painting, "Russian Schoolroom," shows a Soviet classroom with children wearing red neck scarves and staring at a white bust of Lenin. Its value is between $700,000 and $1 million. From the WSJ:

The case has its roots in a late-night burglary 34 years ago at the Clayton Art Gallery in Clayton, Mo. The gallery's owner, Jack Solomon, bought the painting for $5,000 in 1968. Mr. Solomon once worked as Rockwell's lithographer and currently owns a string of galleries in Las Vegas and other cities. He reported the theft to police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but the work could not be located. Insurance reimbursed him for his loss, but Mr. Solomon says he never gave up title to the work.

It resurfaced at a New Orleans auction, where it was bought by Judy Goffman Cutler, who says she didn't know the work was stolen. In 1989, she sold it to Spielberg. This past February, a Spielberg employee saw an FBI bulletin on the stolen painting. The FBI then asked Spielberg to keep the painting until they could sort things out. Well, Solomon has filed suit this week in U.S. District Court in Nevada against Spielberg, alleging that the director and the FBI were refusing to return the painting to him. Cutler has filed suit against Solomon in U.S. District Court in New York, saying her reputation had been damaged. No good deed...