NEW YORK (AP) ― A painting by the late pop artist Roy Lichtenstein that disappeared 42 years ago has turned up in a New York City warehouse and is in legal limbo.
Lichtenstein’s black and white “Electric Cord” was reported stolen after it was sent out to be cleaned by owner Leo Castelli in 1970 and never returned.
The painting shows a tightly wound electrical cord. Court papers say it re-emerged last week when the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation notified Castelli’s widow, Barbara Castelli, that someone was trying to sell it.
Castelli’s court filings say the painting recently was on display at a museum in Colombia. They say Castelli is “deeply concerned” the painting may disappear again.
A judge on Tuesday signed an order barring the Manhattan warehouse from selling or moving the painting until a hearing next week.