Howard University Says Black Madonna at Sotheby’s Was Stolen
- Historically Black college suing to recover Charles White work
- Howard says it disappeared from its collection in the 1970s
Howard University sued a South Carolina couple to recover a drawing by renowned African-American artist Charles White that it says was stolen from its collection more than four decades ago.
In its lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in New York, the historically Black Washington university said the work, “Centralia Madonna,” a 24-inch-by-32-inch depiction of an African-American Madonna figure, disappeared from its collection in the 1970s. It only resurfaced in May when Sotheby’s contacted the school about the work’s provenance ahead of its planned inclusion in an “American Art” auction.