[MSN] Attorney Melvin E. Gibbs says the Smithsonian and a prominent New York museum committed fraud, racketeering and conspiracy to steal the work of a renowned Depression-era black artist.

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EXCLUSIVE: MAN USES INTERNET TO EXPOSE ART 'THEFT' 

Image:
http://www.reddingnewsreview.com/newspages/2007newspages/whjohnson_07_091000
136.htm



 By Robert "Rob" Redding  Jr.

Publisher

July 30, 2007, 12:01 a.m. - A former Washington, D.C. attorney is taking his
fight against the Smithsonian and a prominent New York museum to the
Internet.

Attorney Melvin E. Gibbs says the two museums committed fraud, racketeering
and conspiracy to steal the work of a renowned Depression-era black artist.

Gibbs is asking YouTube users to help him in his fight to have a special
prosecutor appointed to investigate whether the Smithsonian, the Michael
Rosenfeld Gallery and others took the art work of William H. Johnson.
Johnson's artwork is now worth millions of dollars.

Johnson's family never received a large shipment of his work after he fell
ill and was committed to a Long Island mental institution in 1947. Gibbs
said the shipment of Johnson's work was "stolen" before being delivered to
his mother in Florence, S.C. just before his death in 1970. 

More than 1,000 of Johnson's paintings were eventually donated to the
Smithsonian in 1967 by a foundation. A few paintings were given to black
universities. Many of those works also are missing, Gibbs said.
"All I want is a special prosecutor to investigate the largest conspiracy in
regard to the theft of art in the history of this country," said Gibbs, who
was stripped of his license to practice law in 2002 while representing the
Johnson family. (See ruling)
Many of those involved have denied Gibbs' allegations. "There is no
dispute," said Michael Rosenfeld, who is accused by Gibbs of owning a
Johnson painting he said is supposed to belong to Tuskegee University in
Alabama. 

"Tuskegee told me not to be concerned about it," said Rosenfeld, who would
not disclose the present whereabouts of the painting entitled "Sarah." 

"That's not relevant," he said.

Tuskegee has refused to comment.
 
Since taking the case 10 years ago, Gibbs has been unsuccessful in including
the Smithsonian in the fraud, racketeering and conspiracy suit. He wants
compensation for Johnson's family, the copyrights and proceeds made from
numerous items sold by the Smithsonian returned to the family. 

Gibbs' makes his allegations in an amateurish video shot in overlapping Part
1 and Part 2. 

He said he also has an internal memo that proves the Smithsonian knowingly
violated copyright laws by reproducing Johnson's artwork.

Laura Baptiste, a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian, would only say that the
paintings were a "gift" from a foundation in 1967.  

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