Monthly archive
13 headlines
Source-linked reporting
theworld.org
The World from PRX reports on Austrian museums seeking the owners of art looted by Nazis, including provenance research led by experts like Leonhard Weidinger at Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts, to determine rightful ownership of works such as Egon Schiele’s Self-portrait with eyelid pulled down.
getty.edu
Käthe Kollwitz prints and drawings join the Getty collections. The Getty Research Institute acquired a major collection of works on paper assembled by Dr. Richard A. Simms, focusing on Kollwitz and including artists in her orbit such as Max Klinger, Emil Nolde, Otto Greiner, Ludwig Meidner, and George Grosz. The gift portion includes Adolph Menzel's drawing Study for Heinrich von Kleist’s Broken Jug, 1876, donated to the J. Paul Getty Museum, celebrating Lee Hendrix’s work.
itsartlaw.org
Nina Mesfin discusses the HEAR Act and its Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on June 7, 2016, including Helen Mirren’s testimony and cultural restitution context related to Nazi-looted art, notably the Guelph Treasure (Welfenschatz) case in Germany and its potential impact on restitution claims.
theartnewspaper.com
The article reports that a US district court dismissed a claim by Marei von Saher, heir of Jacques Goudstikker, to recover Lucas Cranach’s Adam and Eve paintings now at the Norton Simon Museum; the court ruled the works became property of the Dutch government after World War II, and the claimant intends to appeal.
news.artnet.com
Jeff Koons is identified as the mystery artist behind a lawsuit against David Zwirner. The artwork in question is a version of Gazing Ball (Centaur and Lapith Maiden), 2013, with the amended complaint raising damages to $6 million.
artforum.com
Fabrizio Moretti filed a lawsuit against David Zwirner and his gallery over Jeff Koons’s Gazing Ball (Centaur and Lapith Maiden), 2013, which Moretti purchased for $2 million and later sought $6 million after an amended complaint. The suit cites breach of contract, fraud, and violations of New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law.
theartnewspaper.com
The article reports that Chicago federal judge Gary Feinerman ruled that painter Peter Doig absolutely did not paint the disputed work at the center of a long-running lawsuit brought by Robert Fletcher. Fletcher claimed a painting he bought for $100 in the 1970s was by Doig and sought damages; the ruling found it to be a case of mistaken identity and the painting’s value was deemed zero. The piece notes previous Doig sale records and includes statements from Doig’s lawyers, gallerist Michael Werner, and Fletcher’s lawyer.
news.artnet.com
Peter Doig was accused of disavowing a painting believed to have been painted by him as a teen, with plaintiffs Peter Bartlow and Robert Fletcher seeking $7.9 million. Judge Gary Feinerman ruled that Doig absolutely did not paint the disputed work.
news.artnet.com
Ashley Salazar, also known as Mynxii White, sues Richard Prince and Gagosian Gallery in the US District Court for copyright infringement over a two-year-old Instagram self-portrait of Mynxii White. The suit was filed June 15 in the Central District of California and Salazar registered the image for copyright.
theartnewspaper.com
Ashley Salazar, an Instagram makeup artist and model, sues Richard Prince over a mirror selfie decorated with cat memes that he allegedly appropriated from her Instagram account. The case concerns copyright infringement related to Prince's New Portraits series, and the suit has been transferred from California to New York federal court.
yanggallery.com.sg
The article reports that China surpassed the United States in auction turnover for the first time in five years, driven by a 18% rise in China’s half-year sales and a $570 million increase, giving China 35.5% of the market while the U.S. accounts for 26.8%. It also notes top Chinese artists like Zhang Daqian, Wu Guanzhong, Fu Baoshi and Qi Baishi in the year’s top results, with Asian artists comprising about 30% of the top 50 results.
theartnewspaper.com
The Art Newspaper reports on several high-profile lawsuits in the art world, including Blue Art founder Fabrizio Moretti’s amended complaint against David Zwirner and his gallery over Jeff Koons’s Gazing Ball (Centaur and Lapith Maiden) (2013), seeking $6 million in total damages; and a separate case where Peter Doig is challenged by a long-running dispute over a painting allegedly bought in the 1970s, which a Chicago federal judge ruled Doig did not paint.
abc.net.au
The Sotheby’s Australia auction titled Important Australian Art in Sydney cleared $8.96 million, setting world records for several artists including Brett Whiteley, Sidney Nolan, Margret Olley, Del Kathryn Barton, Albert Namatjira and Jeffrey Smart. Highlights included Albert Namatjira’s Finke River Mission and Mount Hermannsburg selling for $122,000, Emma Minnie Boyd’s A Lassie Yet selling for $140,000, a Brett Whiteley piece The Robin and The Moon just over $1 million, and Arthur Streeton’s Sydney Harbour (1907) at $2,074,000 including buyer’s premium.