Manhattan U.S. Attorney And FBI Announce Recovery Of Stolen Robert Motherwell Painting
summary
The stolen 1967 Robert Motherwell painting 'Untitled', taken by a Santini Moving Company employee in 1978 and held for 30 years by the employee’s son, was voluntarily returned to the Dedalus Foundation in 2017 and recovered by the FBI Art Crime Team without criminal charges.
paragraph
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the FBI announced the recovery of Robert Motherwell’s 1967 painting 'Untitled', which had been missing for 40 years after being stolen during a move orchestrated by Santini Moving Company. The painting came into the possession of the son of a deceased Santini worker, who contacted the Dedalus Foundation in 2017, leading to its voluntary surrender to the FBI. No criminal charges were filed, and the artwork was returned to the Dedalus Foundation, Motherwell’s legal heir, with no fines or forfeiture proceedings initiated.
narrative
The stolen 1967 Robert Motherwell painting 'Untitled', created during the height of the New York School movement, disappeared in 1978 after being transported by Santini Moving Company, which Motherwell had exclusively used for art logistics. Following Motherwell’s death in 1991, his entire collection was deeded to the Dedalus Foundation, which spent decades trying to recover missing works. In 2017, the son of a former Santini employee reached out to the Foundation, revealing he had possessed the painting for 30 years after his father’s death. The FBI’s Art Crime Team intervened, and the individual voluntarily surrendered the artwork without resistance or claim of ownership. No criminal charges were filed, as the individual cooperated fully and the painting was not proven to have been acquired through illegal means beyond its original theft. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI emphasized the importance of restitution over prosecution in culturally significant art cases. The painting was officially returned to the Dedalus Foundation on July 12, 2018, restoring it to public access and its rightful legacy. The case highlights the enduring impact of art theft and the critical role of voluntary restitution in resolving decades-old art crimes.
Classified unclassified. No EDGAR filing fingerprint (criminal/DOJ-side scheme). detection rule →
Parties
dedalus foundationGeoffrey S. Bermanjonathan e. reboldrobert motherwelluntitled to fbi art crime teamu.s. attorney's office and fbi
Keywords
robert motherwellmotherwellfbidedalus foundationrobertpaintingdedaluslinknewannounce recoveryrecovery stolenstolen robertmotherwell paintinggovernment non-governmentnon-government sites
Extracted insights
Entities 7
- scheme_term case handling by money laundering and asset forfeiture unit
- person dedalus foundation
- person Geoffrey S. Berman
- person jonathan e. rebold
- person robert motherwell
- agency untitled to fbi art crime team
- agency u.s. attorney's office and fbi
Triples 12
- Geoffrey S. Berman announced return of stolen painting Untitled created in 1967 by Robert Motherwell
- William F. Sweeny Jr. announced return of stolen painting Untitled created in 1967 by Robert Motherwell
- Robert Motherwell created Untitled painting in 1967
- Robert Motherwell employed Santini Moving Company to transport and store artwork throughout 1960s and 1970s
- Robert Motherwell identified as missing dozens of paintings including Untitled around 1978
- Robert Motherwell died 1991
- Dedalus Foundation received virtually all paintings from Robert Motherwell following his death in 1991
- son of former Santini worker contacted Dedalus Foundation in 2017 regarding authenticity of Untitled
- son of former Santini worker possessed Untitled painting for 30 years
- son of former Santini worker relinquished Untitled to FBI Art Crime Team
- U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI returned Untitled painting to Dedalus Foundation
- Jonathan E. Rebold in charge of case handling by Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Unit
Extracted body text (3,708c)
Press Release Manhattan U.S. Attorney And FBI Announce Recovery Of Stolen Robert Motherwell Painting Thursday, July 12, 2018 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York The Untitled Work, Created in 1967, was Missing for 40 Years Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeny Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the return of a stolen painting, Untitled, created in 1967 by Robert Motherwell. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said: “The storied past of this magnificent piece may never be known. But now, thankfully, 40 years after Robert Motherwell began painting this piece, this work of art is where it should be: with the Dedalus Foundation and for the benefit of the public.” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeny Jr. said: “Robert Motherwell was an influential and iconic artist of his time. His love of the abstract inspired him to create works enjoyed by many still today. Unfortunately, several of his paintings went missing about four decades ago – the 1967 Untitled piece is but one of them. Motherwell never titled this work of art before it vanished. Maybe, after all, that’s part of its story – one that begins a new chapter here today. We are honored to restore this extraordinary piece to the Dedalus Foundation, so that those who appreciate the value of fine art may now come to know the true narrative of the painting’s past, present, and future.” Robert Motherwell, a 20th century American painter, printmaker, and editor, was among a group of visual artists – including Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko – often considered together as the “New York School.” Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s, Motherwell exclusively employed the Santini Moving Company (“Santini”) to transport and store his artwork. In or around 1978, Motherwell changed storage companies, and in the process of preparing and itemizing his artwork for the move, identified dozens of paintings, including Unitled, as missing or stolen. Following Motherwell’s death in 1991, virtually all of his paintings were deeded to the Dedalus Foundation (“Dedalus”). In 2017, the son of a former and now deceased Santini worker contacted the Dedalus Foundation regarding the authenticity of Untitled, which had been in his father’s possession for the past 30 years. After being contacted by Dedalus, the FBI approached that individual, who voluntarily relinquished Untitled to a special agent assigned to the FBI’s Art Crime Team. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI are now returning the painting to its rightful owners. Mr. Berman thanked the FBI’s Art Crime Team and the Dedalus Foundation for their assistance. The case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Rebold is in charge of the case. Updated July 12, 2018 Topic Intellectual Property Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 18-232
OCR text (3,708c · plain-text · 99% conf)
Press Release Manhattan U.S. Attorney And FBI Announce Recovery Of Stolen Robert Motherwell Painting Thursday, July 12, 2018 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York The Untitled Work, Created in 1967, was Missing for 40 Years Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeny Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the return of a stolen painting, Untitled, created in 1967 by Robert Motherwell. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said: “The storied past of this magnificent piece may never be known. But now, thankfully, 40 years after Robert Motherwell began painting this piece, this work of art is where it should be: with the Dedalus Foundation and for the benefit of the public.” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeny Jr. said: “Robert Motherwell was an influential and iconic artist of his time. His love of the abstract inspired him to create works enjoyed by many still today. Unfortunately, several of his paintings went missing about four decades ago – the 1967 Untitled piece is but one of them. Motherwell never titled this work of art before it vanished. Maybe, after all, that’s part of its story – one that begins a new chapter here today. We are honored to restore this extraordinary piece to the Dedalus Foundation, so that those who appreciate the value of fine art may now come to know the true narrative of the painting’s past, present, and future.” Robert Motherwell, a 20th century American painter, printmaker, and editor, was among a group of visual artists – including Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko – often considered together as the “New York School.” Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s, Motherwell exclusively employed the Santini Moving Company (“Santini”) to transport and store his artwork. In or around 1978, Motherwell changed storage companies, and in the process of preparing and itemizing his artwork for the move, identified dozens of paintings, including Unitled, as missing or stolen. Following Motherwell’s death in 1991, virtually all of his paintings were deeded to the Dedalus Foundation (“Dedalus”). In 2017, the son of a former and now deceased Santini worker contacted the Dedalus Foundation regarding the authenticity of Untitled, which had been in his father’s possession for the past 30 years. After being contacted by Dedalus, the FBI approached that individual, who voluntarily relinquished Untitled to a special agent assigned to the FBI’s Art Crime Team. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI are now returning the painting to its rightful owners. Mr. Berman thanked the FBI’s Art Crime Team and the Dedalus Foundation for their assistance. The case is being handled by the Office’s Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan E. Rebold is in charge of the case. Updated July 12, 2018 Topic Intellectual Property Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 18-232