Al Plastino’s JFK Superman Art Stolen?

[wizardseye311]

I read this on Al's Facebook page. Anyone know about this?

 

http://13thdimension.com/al-plastinos-jfk-superman-art-stolen/

 

Link to his Facebook page:

 

https://www.facebook.com/al.plastino

[jsilverjanet]

such a shame

[wizardseye311]

Yeah, I thought so too. I was wondering though how he didn't know until now that the library never got it. You would think that some kind of "thank you" or confirmation of them receiving it would have been a priority.

[Davenport]

He needs to contact every major news outlet in the world. The pressure of bad publicity might do wonders for his cause.

The press loves JFK and would probably jump on such a unique story.

[MedicAR]

Looking at his Facebook page, he's got two of the biggest guns in the industry offering to help. Bleeding Cool and the Neal Adams family. Between the two, something should come out of this.

[wizardseye311]

Here's the last panel in the comic where it says where the original art would be donated to. Heritage says they have all the pages from the story, and are auctioning them starting at $20,000.00 each. Yikes!

[Davenport]

Here's the last panel in the comic where it says where the original art would be donated to. Heritage says they have all the pages from the story, and are auctioning them starting at $20,000.00 each. Yikes!

Pulled this issue description from Comicvine: Superman #170

 

"The story 'Superman's Mission for President Kennedy!' was originally set to run in Superman #168, but was pulled following JFK's assassination. The story's original art was donated to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library at Harvard University."

[wizardseye311]

The University is saying they never got it, and have no record of ever receiving such artwork. Somewhere along the line it was hijacked. Either way back then or it was stolen recently, and all records of it were wiped. Which isn't impossible to do, but someone would surely have seen it there at one time or another. Al is saying he never knew it didn't get there until recently when someone told him it's for sale.

[Davenport]

Certainly helps to have "history" on your side, to have it published what the intent was at the time, becoming a part of pop-culture that that's where the art went.

 

A consignor would have a tough time explaining how they came to "own" it, given it's historical background.

[asr0462]

What a shame. I remember seeing that this year behind glass the New York Comic Con. It was really neat to see.

[wizardseye311]

My thoughts exactly. Can't wait to see how this ends up.

[jools&jim]

 

Just did a quick check on-line, and it looks like the JFK Library (i.e., the building itself) didn't formally open its doors until 1979. So God only knows what could have happened to donated materials between 1964 (when the Superman story was published) and the late '70s.

 

Does Plastino say when he donated the pages?

[wizardseye311]

Walter Simonson was saying back then no one really cared about the originals like nowadays. So donating it probably was more of a patriotic gesture. It's got to be heartbreaking knowing now that a. It never got there, and b. someone is trying to make a huge profit off of his donation. Somewhere along the line someone who had knew they shouldn't have. Hard to blame the current owner if they bought it thinking it was legit, but who knows until the facts come out?

 

I'm assuming he donated it in '63 - '64. All his post says is "All those years ago".

[comix4fun]

Just did a quick check on-line, and it looks like the JFK Library (i.e., the building itself) didn't formally open its doors until 1979. So God only knows what could have happened to donated materials between 1964 (when the Superman story was published) and the late '70s.

 

Does Plastino say when he donated the pages?

 

 

Also at the NYCC he posed for a picture with the splash page. He had a big smile on his face. I wonder where he thought the page came from.

[wizardseye311]

This one, right? It's weird, but maybe he thought someone from the library brought it.

[wizardseye311]

The accompanying post:

 

Please help if you can. The art I donated and thought for all these years was being housed at the Kennedy library at Harvard is now being auctioned off on the anniversary of Kennedy's assassination. And now I am finding out that the art may have never made it to the library. The archivists tell me there are no records of it ever being received. I asked for the art back and they will not give it to me. I asked for the consigner's name and they will not tell me that either. They tell me I have no rights to my work and that it is too late to get it back.

[comix4fun]

Borock just posted in the art section.

 

This entire story was sold in the 1993 Sotheby's art auction. It's been out there for decades.

The Sotheby's sale looks to have created a BFP for value. All the owners from 1993 to now see to have good title. Al's going to have to work his way back from Sotheby's to try and find the responsible party as they are the only ones he has a claim against if the 1993 sale did, in fact, create a BFP for value.

[revat]

Borock just posted in the art section.

 

This entire story was sold in the 1993 Sotheby's art auction. It's been out there for decades.

The Sotheby's sale looks to have created a BFP for value. All the owners from 1993 to now see to have good title. Al's going to have to work his way back from Sotheby's to try and find the responsible party as they are the only ones he has a claim against if the 1993 sale did, in fact, create a BFP for value.

 

This means he's likely not getting it back, but MIGHT have a claim for the money + interest + criminal charges against whoever stole and sold it in the first place.

[comix4fun]

Borock just posted in the art section.

 

This entire story was sold in the 1993 Sotheby's art auction. It's been out there for decades.

The Sotheby's sale looks to have created a BFP for value. All the owners from 1993 to now see to have good title. Al's going to have to work his way back from Sotheby's to try and find the responsible party as they are the only ones he has a claim against if the 1993 sale did, in fact, create a BFP for value.

 

This means he's likely not getting it back, but MIGHT have a claim for the money + interest + criminal charges against whoever stole and sold it in the first place.

 

 

Right.

 

My first move would be to have my legal rep. contact Sotheby's and give them the story and try to get them to release the name of the consignor from 1993. They probably can't do that without a court order.

 

One issue I was thinking about was DC the party donating the art, or was it Plastino? That notation in the book made me ask that question. The answer to the question will determine who has standing to track down who sold the artwork.

[wizardseye311]