A Crazy Art World Conspiracy Theory
Jay Rappoport is not happy with his family’s actions and has brought a lawsuit against more than 20 individuals. In 2015, a member of the Rappoport family put an Old Master painting up at Nye & Co (a small auction … More…
Schiele Restitution
Recently, there was some good news for the heirs of Heinrich Rieger (a Jewish Viennese dentist who was killed at the Theresienstadt concentration camp located in the Czech Republic). According to an article in The Art Newspaper, [t]he German government’s … More…
A Big Payday For A Little Work
A small oil painting that had been in a collection for years, most likely from the early 1950s, possibly even longer, just had a big payday for the owners. The painting, just 12 ¼ x 9 ½ inches, was cataloged … More…
Art Expert, The Key Witness
Italian art dealer, Gabriele Seno, is appealing a suspended sentence of one year and eight months plus $4,800 in fines after being found guilty of attempting to peddle a forged work by Josef Albers for $387,000. The painting, Study for … More…
The Booming Card Market
I was hoping to find something different to write about, but I could not resist covering the two Michael Jordan 1986 Fleer Rookie Cards that just sold; both had a PSA grading of Mint Gem 10. Jordan’s 1986 Fleer Rookie … More…
Sotheby’s Master Paintings & Sculpture Just Misses
On January 28, Sotheby’s offered a small selection of paintings in their Mater Paintings & Sculpture sale. I always wonder why they have a sale of Old Master works and then throw in a few 19th-century paintings. My personal feeling … More…
Angela Is Now Awaiting Trial
Back in 2017, Angela Gulbenkian’s criminal activities in the art world surfaced … basically selling works (a Warhol and Kusama) that she did not have the authority to sell. In June of 2019, a UK court issued a warrant for … More…
Art Dealer Pardoned
We all heard that during his final days in office, Trump handed out a large number of pardons. Among the ‘lucky’ people, New York art dealer Hillel “Helly” Nahmad. You might remember that in 2013, Mr. Nahmad pled guilty to … More…
Tintin And The Auction Adventure
Georges Remi (known by the pen name Hergé) (1907-1983) was a Belgian cartoonist best known for creating the Adventures of Tintin, a comic series about a young Belgian reporter whose adventures took him all around the world. The series, which … More…
The 14th Artwork From Notorious Nazi Collection Returned
While the provenance of a vast majority of works from the Hildebrand Gurlitt collection remains unknown, the German Lost Art Foundation determined that at least 14 works had definite ties to the Nazis. The book is still open on the … More…
300 Year Old Vase = Big Payday
I have written about the surprising auction results of Chinese art objects many times, but I am still amazed at how auctioneers consistently seem to have a hard time with their valuations. A recent sale in Ireland, once again, demonstrates … More…
Wildenstein Saga Continues
In 2016, members of the Wildenstein family were accused of tax fraud – Guy Wildenstein faces charges that he hid his fortune in offshore tax havens and a demand for £475m in back taxes By early 2017, Guy Wildenstein and … More…
They Want Their Art Back!
Back in 2016, Gallery Shchukin filed a lawsuit against the Russian financier Rustaam Iseev, for the return of five paintings said to be worth $60 million. In order to avoid arrest, Iseev informed the court where the works were being … More…
The Purloined Amati
Mr. Rowland Weinstein (a California dealer) recently learned a valuable lesson … after exiting your automobile, it is always wise to lock it. It is even more advisable when you have an object worth close to $1 million in it. … More…
Update: Dark Side’s Top 3 Of 2020 – 2. Another Art Theft? This Time A Van Gogh
Original Post Another Art Theft? This Time A Van Gogh News just broke that early Monday morning, thieves smashed the front door of the Singer Laren Museum, Laren, The Netherlands, and stole Vincent van Gogh’s The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen … More…
Update: Dark Side’s Top 3 Of 2020 -1. More Looted Artifacts At Hobby Lobby
Original Post More Looted Artifacts at Hobby Lobby Back in 2017, Hobby Lobby agreed to return thousands of smuggled clay artifacts they bought in 2010 and paid a fine of $3 million. Well, now it has come to light that … More…
Update: Dark Side’s Top 3 Of 2020 – 3. Kenny Schachter Duped By Inigo Philbrick
Original Post Inigo Philbrick (an art world scammer) hit a lot of people, including his art dealer friend Kenny Schachter who was duped out of $1.67M! The work of art they purchased seems to have vanished … along with Mr. … More…
Highlights From A Holiday Auction
A record-setting Holiday auction was just held and demonstrated the strength in demand for cards and memorabilia. There were over 2100 items up for sale and many of the items had remarkable results; only 78 items failed to sell, so … More…
When Will The Madness Stop?
Over the past few months, we have talked about the ridiculous amount of material the auction rooms are throwing into the market. They are even having sales that, to me, do not seem to make financial sense … here is … More…
Adidas and Meissen Pair Up
Are you in the market for a new pair of running shoes? Then these are probably not for you, but they are the coolest sneakers I have ever seen! Sotheby’s held an online auction with just one lot; a collaborative … More…
A Story About Altering Provenance
As we have always said, every work has a provenance, but the full provenance of every work is not always known. Now, you should expect that when one of the major auction rooms offers a work, they will do their … More…
Christie’s, London – British and European Art
On December 10th, Christie’s 15-day online sale featuring 105 lots of British and European art ended … I know, not another sale! Sorry, but the hits, or better yet, failures, just keep on coming. Hopefully, once this medical mess is … More…
American Art – Sotheby’s
The best way I can describe Sotheby’s New York American Art sale is – better luck next time. (unless otherwise noted, all dollar amounts are the hammer price) Prior to the sale opening on December 11th, two lots were withdrawn, … More…
Sotheby’s, London – European & British Art
On December 9th, Sotheby’s offered up a selection of European & British works of art … the results will speak for themselves. (w/p = with the buyer’s premium) The top lot of the sale was a large oil painting by … More…