The Francis Bacon Estate’s legal claim against Marlborough Fine Art includes allegations of blackmail, with Bacon reportedly switching galleries but warned he could face tax issues and access to Liechtenstein funds. The High Court in London ruled the blackmail claim could be incorporated into the estate’s case, which may amount to more than £100 million. The dispute involves executor Professor Brian Clarke and Marlborough Fine Art (London) Ltd and Marlborough International Fine Art Establishment, with related discussions dating back to March 1978 including a dinner at Claridge’s.
The page reports on Sotheby’s contemporary-art auction in London where Gerhard Richter’s 180 Colors set an auction record at $2.9 million, and Andy Warhol’s Little Electric Chair from the Disaster series sold for $2.3 million, far above its high estimate. The sale drew a standing-room-only crowd and featured anonymous phone bids; notable figures include Matthew Carey-Williams and Stellan Holm, with former dealer Ivan Karp referenced in context.
Gustav Rau, a 79-year-old art collector and philanthropist, died in Stuttgart after a pneumonia illness. The article notes his vast private collection, his work as a medical doctor in Africa, and that he willed the collection to the German UNICEF branch. The collection is among the largest private holdings, second only to the Thyssen-Bronemisza collection in Madrid.
Three Bacon paintings, including Man in Blue VII featuring Peter Lacy, are expected to fetch up to £2m at Christie's in London. The works discussed include Man in Blue VII (1950s), Head, and Portrait of a Man with Glasses IV, with estimated prices up to £700,000, £500,000, and £400,000 respectively.
Claude Monet and the artwork Prairie de Limetz are discussed, with the painting’s expected auction price up to €4.85 million at Christie's in London; the sale also features a Renoir estimate up to €9.71 million and works by Manet and Cezanne.
Claude Monet painting Prairie de Limetz, 1888, seen publicly after more than a century; part of a collection including Renoir Le Premier Pas, ahead of New York exhibition and London auction. The Monet work has a notable provenance linking to Theo van Gogh and private sale until 1950.
Nancy Rubins’ 2001 sculpture with a long title, “Chas’ Stainless Steel, Mark Thompson’s Airplane Parts, About 1000 Pounds of Stainless Steel Wire and Gagosian’s Beverly Hills Space,” is among MOCA’s 2001 acquisitions. The list includes works by Gabriel Orozco, Paul McCarthy, Joel Shapiro, Mona Hatoum, William Kentridge, Sara Sze, and others, with gifts from collectors and donors such as Kourosh Larizadeh and Judd Marmor, and purchases funded by the Warhol Foundation and Joel Wachs. A selection will be displayed at MOCA’s Pacific Design Center in early 2002.
Un Monet de Prairie de Limetz, pintura de Monet de 1888, se presenta con un precio estimado de 3,2 a 4,9 millones de euros en la subasta de Sotheby's; el cuadro pertenece a una colección privada y fue vendido originalmente a una galería parisina. Otras obras destacadas incluyen Maisons à Valhermeil de Cézanne con estimación de 4,5 a 5,7 millones de euros y Le premier pas de Renoir (1876) entre 6,5 y 9,7 millones de euros. Isabelle Lemonnier fue la modelo preferida de Manet, retratada en varias obras.