Couple Wants Money Back for Stolen Art

MANHATTAN (CN) - A couple wants its $898,000 back after unwittingly buying a stolen Jasper Johns painting.

Perry and Donna Golkin filed suit Friday in New York Supreme Court against DAE Associates' Danese Corey.

Johns' former administrative assistant, non-party James Meyer, got 18 months in prison in April for stealing at least 22 of the American artists' works from his Sharon, Conn. studio, then selling them to other dealers.

One of those stolen paintings, described in court papers as an acrylic on twinrocker paper laid on canvas and dated between 2002 and 2005, was bought by the Golkins.

After learning of Meyer's sentence, the two returned the painting to Johns as directed by prosecutors.

They then asked Corey for their money back, but to no avail.

They are represented by Philip K. Howard with Covington & Burling LLP.

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