Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule Jan 21, 2026 visibility 25 link 10 artists

met opera may sell prized marc chagall paintings 1234770398

New York's Metropolitan Opera is considering selling two monumental Marc Chagall murals, 'The Sources of Music' and 'The Triumphs of Music' (1966), valued at $55 million by Sotheby's, to address a severe financial crisis. The Met has already drawn $120 million from its endowment, reduced performances, and struck a controversial $100 million deal to perform in Saudi Arabia, which has drawn scrutiny over human rights abuses. The murals, which hang in the Grand Tier, would remain in place even if sold, and the Met is also exploring naming rights and theater leasing.

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article news schedule Feb 4, 2026 visibility 14 link 6 artists

met opera murals financial tools 2740082

The Metropolitan Opera is considering selling its two iconic Marc Chagall murals, 'The Sources of Music' and 'The Triumph of Music,' which have been appraised at $55 million. The institution's general manager, Peter Gelb, has proposed a sale with the condition that the buyer agrees to leave the works in place at Lincoln Center, with a donation plaque.

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article news schedule Jan 26, 2026 visibility 12 link 2 artists

metropolian opera chagall murals explained 2739770

New York's Metropolitan Opera announced it may sell its two iconic Marc Chagall murals, *The Sources of Music* and *The Triumphs of Music*, which have adorned the building's Grand Tier since 1966. The proposal includes a caveat that the paintings must remain in place at the opera, with the owner recognized on a plaque. Sotheby's valued the artworks at a total of $55 million within the past year. The financially beleaguered institution has drawn $120 million from its endowment and reduced its performance schedule since the pandemic, and previously used the Chagalls as collateral for a $35 million loan from J.P. Morgan in 2009.

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trending_up market schedule Sep 30, 2025 visibility 11 link 2 artists

claude monet sale bankruptcy george allen weiss 1234754305

Financier George Allen Weiss is seeking court approval to sell Claude Monet's painting *Nymphéas* (1914–17) for $36.5 million to an unnamed buyer, as part of his bankruptcy proceedings. Weiss filed for bankruptcy in June after a federal judge ruled he owed over $100 million in debt tied to his hedge fund, Weiss Multi-Strategy Advisers, which also filed for bankruptcy in 2024. The sale, handled through Weiss's GW Crown Holdings LLC, is intended to cover $123 million in debt to Bank of America, but Jefferies Strategic Investments has filed a limited objection demanding the buyer's identity be disclosed, citing a comparable Monet that sold for $65.5 million at Sotheby's.

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trending_up market schedule Jul 22, 2025 visibility 9 link 5 artists

ronald perelmans 410m trial finally begins 1234747916

Billionaire collector Ronald Perelman's $410 million insurance trial has finally begun after seven years of litigation, over 1,500 court filings, and a 2018 fire at his East Hampton estate. The dispute centers on five paintings by Cy Twombly, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol that survived the fire but were exposed to smoke and sprinklers. Perelman claims the works lost their market appeal—their "oomph"—while insurers at Lloyd's of London dispute any detectable damage and allege Perelman quietly tried to sell some of the pieces. The trial has also revealed that Perelman sold over 70 works from his collection after a margin call from Deutsche Bank, with some contested paintings used as collateral.

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