Maybe it was Charlie Brown’s pitiful Christmas tree on Schroeder’s piano that inspired the request for help. Whatever it was, today the FBI tweeted a plea to the public to assist in the search for a stolen piece of “Peanuts” art, showing a scene from the iconic 1965 animated movie “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
The drawing/watercolor piece, titled “Dress Rehearsal” and signed by the late “Peanuts” animator Bill Melendez, is among thousands of works of art on the FBI’s wanted list, officially called the National Stolen Art File. The file includes everything from impressionist works to gem-laden statues.
Help the #FBI find Bill Melendez's "Dress Rehearsal," a stolen animation cel that features the Peanuts gang. It measures 10.5 inches by 12.5 inches. Report tips to https://t.co/iL7sD5efWD. #ArtCrimeTeam #FindArtFriday https://t.co/DtCkGnSpvF pic.twitter.com/TZsxVel2G4
— FBI (@FBI) December 25, 2020
The FBI doesn’t list the value of the “Peanuts” piece, but classic comics can bring in thousands of dollars at auction. (Recently, a set of “Peanuts” drawings by series creator Charles Schulz reportedly sold for over $230,000. Last year thieves made off with three “Peanuts” drawings worth just under $8,000 total from a California museum, according to the Los Angeles Times.)
At least four other “Peanuts” pieces, all apparently signed by Melendez, are listed on the FBI’s website.
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Bill Melendez, who died in 2008, was the animator for “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” in addition to many other “Peanuts” shows and movies. He won six Emmy Awards for his work, according to his obituary in The New York Times.
The FBI established its Art Crime Team in 2004, after the looting of the Baghdad Museum. It comprises 20 special agents charged with combating what it called “a looming criminal enterprise with estimated losses in the billions of dollars annually.”
The bureau says that since its birth, the Art Crime Team has recovered some 15,000 items worth north of $800 million.
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