Chagall Painting Returned 30 Years After Theft From UES Couple

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Federal officials have returned a 100-year-old Marc Chagall painting that was stolen from an Upper East Side couple 30 years ago, the FBI announced Thursday.

The painting, "Othello and Desdemona," was taken from the Upper East Side home of Ernest and Rose Heller while they were on vacation in 1988, federal officials said. The painting, which depicts Othello holding a sword and gazing at Desdemona laying on a bed, was one of many artworks stolen by a worker in the Hellers' building.

"It was an inside job, FBI Special Agency Marc Hess said. "A person who had regular access to the building was stealing from apartments while the tenants were away."

Officials recovered the artwork last year when a Maryland man in possession of the painting reached out to the FBI’s Washington field office, officials said. The man — who was not named by officials — attempted to sell the painting to a Washington, D.C. gallery owner, but failed due to the owner's suspicions about the work's authenticity, officials said. Because the piece had been stolen, the Maryland man didn't have the necessary papers to prove it was an original.

The Maryland man had acquired the painting in the late 80s or early 90s from the man who stole it from the Hellers' apartment, federal officials said. The painting was kept in the man's attic in a custom-made plywood box labeled "Misc. High School artwork." The man had attempted selling it in 2011 and again in 2017, federal officials said.

"Well documented and known art is very hard to move once it has been stolen," said Supervisory Special Agent Tim Carpenter of the FBI’s Art Crime Team. "Gallery owners are our first line of defense in identifying pieces of art that do not have the appropriate documentation and should be brought to the attention of law enforcement."

Both Ernest and Rose Heller died before the painting could be returned, so it will become a possession of their estate, federal officials said. The statute of limitations for the theft has expired, so the Maryland man and the original art thief will not face any charges.

The art thief, who was not identified, was convicted on federal charges related to selling stolen property, including art from other apartment buildings, and served prison time, officials said.

Photo courtesy FBI