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Local Man Battles It Out With Government Over Painting He Restored

By Alexandria Hoff

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CBS) -- A long forgotten painting is now at the center of a legal battle. A local man is taking on the federal government in an attempt to keep a piece of art that he painstakingly restored.

With oil on canvas, 1934 Farmer represents the period in which it was painted: America's "Great Depression." Through the eyes of one man, it represents the proud people who remain resilient.

"It was completely black," said Matthew Schwartz, a fine arts dealer based in Cherry Hill. "It was shredded. It had holes in it." He said the 80-plus-year-old piece had been discarded by a museum and wound up at a low-end auction where he bought it and realized it was a work by John Slavin.

"I see a weary man, with a suit that doesn't fit, but he's just loaded with dignity," Schwartz said as he described the work of art. "We spent several weeks restoring the painting to its original condition," he said.

He then listed it for sale at $8,500. Shortly after posting the painting to eBay, Schwartz was issued a federal summons stating that the painting was created through a New Deal era arts program, therefore claiming that the painting is property of the U.S. Government. According to the summons, federally funded art, completed during the "Great Depression," had simply been on loan to government entities and non-profits.

Schwartz said that if the piece had any prior worth to the government, they never showed it.

"This painting is me," said Schwartz. "This painting is mine."

A motion has been filed in federal court in Camden. Schwartz wants to set a precedent for other depression era pieces and the stories they tell.

Schwartz believes that he alone recognized the worth of Slavin's 1934 Farmer.

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