The article reports that a show featuring works by Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh attracted large crowds. It states attendance figures (more than 87,000 viewing the show, revised to 110,000 by museum director Larry Wheeler), ticket price details ($12 general admission, $4.50 higher than prior prices), and a sales boost in museum memberships (nearly a 40 percent increase to about 14,000 members). It notes the show cost $1 million to bring from the Baltimore Museum of Art and that crowds may grow as the exhibition continues, with people often waiting in line and requiring timed tickets.
Damien Hirst’s work The physical impossibility of death in the mind of someone living (1991) was reportedly sold for $12 million (£6.5 million) to Steve Cohen, as confirmed by the Saatchi Collection. The deal was negotiated by Hirst’s New York agent Larry Gagosian, though some traders questioned the price. The piece notes Cohen’s identity as the likely new keeper and contrasts the price with other contemporary artists.
The article reports that L. Dennis Kozlowski, former Tyco CEO, and his wife Karen bought paintings valued at more than $14 million in 2001 with the help of art dealer Christine A. Berry. Invoices were sent to Tyco offices, and the purchases included works by Renoir and Monet, with additional purchases discussed at the Richard Green Gallery in London for about $1.975 million.
The article reports that heirs of Kazimir Malevich filed a claim against the City of Amsterdam over 14 works loaned to the Guggenheim in New York and the Menil Collection in Houston, arguing illegal expropriation by Amsterdam. A March 2005 US court ruling did not dismiss the case, enabling further proceedings under FSIA.
Robert Rauschenberg, “Rebus,” 1955, oil, pencil, paper and fabric on canvas, 8 by 10 feet 10 1/2 inches. Partial and promised gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder and purchase, 2005. The Museum of Modern Art has acquired “Rebus,” 1955, a major early combine painting by Robert Rauschenberg. The work will go on view in MoMA’s fourth floor galleries in mid-July, adding to MoMA’s collection of Rauschenberg works.
The Los Angeles Times reports that an heir to the former owner reached a settlement with dealer Stephen Hahn in the case over a Picasso painting believed stolen by the Nazis. The circa 1922 painting, Femme en Blanc (Woman in White), was purchased in 1975 by Marilyn Alsdorf and her late husband, James, and is alleged to have Nazi ties. Thomas Bennigson sued in 2002 for possession. The settlement requires Hahn to pay Bennigson an amount equal to Hahn's profit from the sale if Bennigson recovers the painting by judgment or settlement, or reaches a settlement otherwise. The payment obligation expires if Bennigson does not win possession or settle within five years.
The Los Angeles Times reports an out-of-court settlement in which Thomas Bennigson will receive $6.5 million from Marilynn Alsdorf for Picasso's Femme en blanc (Woman in White), a painting reportedly stolen by the Nazis. As part of a prior agreement contingent on the settlement, Bennigson will receive a lesser sum from art dealer Stephen Hahn equal to the profit Hahn realized on the sale, and there may be additional funds from David Tunkl related to plans to exhibit and sell the work in 2002.
François Pinault abandons plans to build a contemporary museum in Paris and instead will show his collection in Palazzo Grassi, Venice. Bernard Arnault has hired Frank Gehry to design a new museum in Paris. The article mentions Arnault’s plan in the Jardin d’acclimatation, the proposed building details, and the involvement of artists and collectors in related developments.