In recent art world news, a Norman Rockwell painting titled “Blacksmith’s Boy—Heel and Toe” (1940) from the Berkshire Museum’s collection sold for $7 million (with buyer’s premium added, the figure is about 8.13 million) to a telephone bidder last week at Sotheby’s in New York. This was the highest price fetched by
Manhattan Art Dealer Admits To Fraud In Multi-Million Dollar Art Fraud Case
In recent art world news, a Manhattan art dealer, Ezra Chowaiki, who was accused of defrauding art collectors and dealers around the country last year, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in the multi-million dollar art fraud case. Chowaiki admitted last week in New York federal court that he had made
Over A Dozen Artworks From Berkshire Museum’s Collection Are Cleared For Sale At Sotheby’s Next Month
In recent art world news, and as a follow up to last week’s post on the Art Law blog, with legal hurdles now overcome, over a dozen artworks from the Berkshire Museum’s art collection are set to be offered for sale at auction next month at Sotheby’s New York in connection with the institution’s
Massachusetts High Court Approves Sell Off Of Berkshire Museum Artworks Concluding Legal Battle
In recent art world news, last week the Berkshire Museum has secured court approval to sell as many as 40 artworks from its collection, including works by Alexander Calder, Albert Bierstadt, Francis Picabia, and Norman Rockwell, as part of a “deaccessioning plan” that has been widely criticized by “museum groups
Graffiti Artists Request $2.6 Million In Attorneys’ Fees After Last Month’s Victory
In recent art world news, following last month’s federal district court ruling that a New York City developer violated the Visual Artists Rights Act (“VARA”) when he demolished well known graffiti space, 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center, the 5Pointz graffiti artists recently requested that the developer pay their attorneys’ fees totaling $2.6 million. In
Ruling By France’s Highest Court Ends Long-Running Legal Dispute Between Heirs Of Peggy Guggenheim And Guggenheim Foundation
In recent art world news, France’s highest court, the Cour de Cassation, issued a ruling on March 7, 2018 that ends the lengthy dispute between the heirs of Peggy Guggenheim’s daughter, Pegeen Vail, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation based in New York. The court has dismissed an appeal by Guggenheim heirs
Graffiti Artists Awarded $6.75 Million For Property Owner Painting Over Visual Artwork On Warehouse Buildings
In recent art world news, last week a federal district court in New York ruled the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (“VARA”), a federal law protecting visual artwork from destruction, covered the graffiti artists’ aerosol artwork on a property owner’s warehouse buildings. VARA amended existing copyright law to protect artists’ moral rights of attribution
Berkshire Museum Sale of Important Works Halted by Appeals Court
Massachusetts Appeals Court Justice, Joseph A. Trainor, granted a motion for an injunction on the sale of important works of the Berkshire Museum. The auction was to be hosted by Sotheby’s this week. The controversial injunction was entered two weeks after Judge John A. Agostini of Massachusetts’ Superior Court held that the Board of Trustee’s
Looted Antiquity Previously On Loan At Met Museum To Be Repatriated To Lebanon
In recent art world news, and further to our recent blog post on the Met Museum’s return to authorities of an ancient artifact on loan due to concerns that it had been looted from a storage area during the civil war in Lebanon, the prior owners of the 2,300 year old marble sculpture of
Former Knoedler Gallery Director Settles Final Lawsuit
In recent art world news, one of the largest art scandals in New York has come to a close with the recent settlement of the last of ten lawsuits brought against Ann Freedman, the former director of the now defunct Knoedler Gallery, that arose from a $70 million forgery ring forcing the long established,