Press Release
☷More Than 50 Years After Theft Stolen John Opie Painting Recovered and Returned to Rightful Owner
Federal Bureau of Investigation ( By Press Release office)
Jan 27,2024
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Dr . Francis Wood , who is 96 years old , is happy to have the John Opie painting , The Schoolmistress , back in his possession . The painting was stolen from his parents ' home in Newark , New Jersey in 1969 and was recently returned to him after a two - year investigation by the FBI . The painting , believed to have been taken by mobsters , was presented to Dr . Wood by FBI Special Agent Gary France on January 11 , 2024 . The question of ownership was resolved by a judge in Utah . The painting is an original work by John Opie , painted in 1784 , and is about 40 inches by 50 inches in size . It is similar to another painting by Opie housed in the Tate Britain art gallery in London . During the investigation , it was discovered that the painting had been stolen from the Wood family ' s home and the FBI took custody of it . Dr . Wood ' s father had purchased the painting during the Great Depression for $7 , 500 . Several individuals claimed responsibility for the theft , including three men who attempted to steal a coin collection from Dr . Wood ' s home in 1969 . It was later revealed that they were directed by a then - U . S . Senator named Anthony Imperiale , who knew the exact location of the painting . However , the senator was never charged because there wasn ' t enough evidence to support the claims against him . It ' s believed that the pressure from law enforcement caused the painting to be passed on to another mobster . We don ' t know where the painting was between 1969 and the late 1980s , but the FBI thinks it stayed with organized crime members . The picture on the left shows a flyer from history that displays the John Opie painting , The Schoolmistress , and offers a reward for its return . The middle picture is a copy of a letter from Spink & Son , London , dated September 23 , 1930 , that confirms the authenticity and quality of the John Opie painting , The Schoolmistress . The picture on the right is a copy of documents related to the Opie painting that was stolen from Dr . Earl Wood in 1969 . Twenty years later , in 1989 , the deceased client of a Utah accounting firm bought a house in Hallandale , Florida from a convicted mobster named Joseph Covello , Sr . The Opie painting was included in the sale of the house without the client knowing its true identity or history . Eventually , the client sold his Florida home and took the painting to St . George , Utah , where it stayed until his death in 2020 . On the left , Tom Wood and Penelope Kulko , who are siblings , help Special Agent Gary France reveal the recovered painting to Dr . Francis Wood . On the right , Special Agent Gary France ( second from the right ) , Dr . Francis Wood , and Wood ' s children stand next to the John Opie painting that was stolen from Wood ' s parents ' home in 1969 . Thanks to Kris Braunberger and HintonBurdick CPAs & Advisors for bringing this matter to our attention , the Wood family , the FBI ' s office in London , and the UK Metropolitan Police Art & Antiquities Unit for their valuable help in determining the history and authenticity of the painting , and FBI Newark for assisting in returning the painting to Dr . Wood .
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