Art News. Vasari Codex

trending_up market schedule May 5, 2025 visibility 21 link 7 artists, 2 galleries

pace louise nevelson sculpture lawsuit

Days before a Louise Nevelson sculpture was to be auctioned at Sotheby’s in May 2022, Pace Gallery founder Arne Glimcher declared the work inauthentic, claiming it was assembled by the artist’s son, Mike, rather than by Nevelson herself. The consigner, the estate of collector Hardie Beloff, has now sued Pace Gallery in US District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania, alleging that Glimcher deliberately sabotaged the sale to protect Pace’s control over Nevelson’s market. The lawsuit centers on Glimcher’s call to Sotheby’s, where he warned the work would not be included in a forthcoming catalogue raisonné, and on a 1993 appraisal in which he had valued the same sculpture at $85,000 without questioning its authenticity.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Dec 2, 2025 visibility 16 link 2 artists, 2 galleries

jack shainman gallery responds odili donald odita lawsuit

Jack Shainman Gallery has formally responded to a lawsuit filed by artist Odili Donald Odita, who accused the New York gallery of refusing to return his artworks. Odita, whose work has been shown at the Venice Biennale and who recently painted the atrium of the Museum of Modern Art, claimed the artworks were worth $1.12 million. In a late November filing, the gallery countered that it holds far less inventory than Odita alleges and that the artist still owes money for production costs. The gallery disclosed that it had paid Odita a monthly stipend starting in 2016—$14,000 per month at its peak—which stopped in 2024, and that Odita had received $586,000 in loans. The gallery claims it has the right to retain five works valued at $650,000, which were consigned to David Kordansky Gallery, and that Odita must repay over $292,000 in outstanding loans.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Apr 7, 2026 visibility 31 link 3 artists, 3 galleries

New York Gallery The Hole Sued Over Back Rent, Accused of Not Paying Artists and Workers

The Hole, a prominent New York-based contemporary art gallery, is facing multiple lawsuits and allegations of financial instability. Legal filings from landlords at both its Bowery and Tribeca locations indicate significant rent arrears totaling over $180,000, alongside unpaid real estate taxes. Founder Kathy Grayson confirmed the closure of the gallery’s Los Angeles outpost, attributing the crisis to a sharp decline in sales starting in late 2023 and a destabilizing period of rapid expansion.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule May 19, 2026 visibility 5 link 5 artists, 1 gallery

Art Lender Accuses Maddox Gallery of Inflating Value of Art Used as Collateral—’Bizarre and Irrational’ Claim, Says Gallery

Luxury Asset Capital (LAC) has filed a civil complaint in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York accusing Maddox Gallery of inflating the value of artworks used as collateral for loans. The dispute stems from a 2023 deal in which Maddox provided substitute collateral—works by Duncan McCormick and Albert Willem—in exchange for a George Condo painting previously held by LAC. LAC alleges that Maddox engaged in a "pump and dump" scheme, artificially bidding up auction prices for McCormick and Willem works to 10–15 times pre-sale estimates, then using those inflated values to justify trades. After the alleged bid-rigging stopped, auction prices fell, and LAC claims it is left with works worth only a fraction of what Maddox represented. Maddox Gallery co-founder Nick Sharp denies the claims as "bizarre and irrational," calling the lawsuit a baseless attempt to unwind a voluntary agreement.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

article news schedule Dec 3, 2025 visibility 22 link 11 artists, 2 galleries

aicon lawsuit art dealing new york brothers dutta

Two New York art galleries run by dueling brothers are locked in a legal battle over the use of the name "Aicon." Projjal Dutta, representing Aicon Contemporary, filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court in October against his brother Prajit Dutta and director Harry Hutchison, who run Aicon Art and ArtsIndia.com. The suit alleges that the defendants have misleadingly used the names "Aicon Gallery" or simply "Aicon" instead of the agreed-upon "Aicon Art," causing confusion in the art market. The brothers previously operated the legacy Aicon Gallery together for 20 years before parting ways in 2019, but they still share the same address and phone number at 35 Great Jones Street.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 18, 2025 visibility 27 link 12 artists, 1 gallery

sperone westwater dealers lawsuit gallery closure

Three months before announcing the closure of Sperone Westwater after 50 years, co-founder Gian Enzo Sperone sued his partner Angela Westwater, alleging a "parasitic deadlock" and accusing her of wresting control of a corporation holding a 50 percent stake in the gallery. The lawsuit claims Westwater mishandled funds, withheld records, mismanaged rent payments, and increased her own salary without approval. The gallery, founded in 1975 as Sperone Westwater Fischer, has represented major artists including Bruce Nauman, Francesco Clemente, and Richard Long, and will close this December.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Apr 8, 2026 visibility 20 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

The Hole Gallery Sued Over Unpaid Back Rent

The Hole, a prominent contemporary art gallery founded by Kathy Grayson, has shuttered its West Hollywood location amid a wave of legal and financial troubles. Court filings reveal that the gallery faces multiple lawsuits for unpaid rent and real estate taxes across its Los Angeles and Manhattan outposts, with debts totaling over $180,000. Beyond real estate disputes, the gallery has been dogged by allegations of financial instability and delinquent payments to artists, including a 2019 lawsuit from artist Dan Lam regarding unpaid sales and damaged works.

newspaper Artforum open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule Oct 8, 2025 visibility 26 link 7 artists, 1 gallery

matthiesen gallery lawsuit jill newhouse jon landau courbet

The Matthiesen Gallery in London has filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York alleging fraud, breach of contract, and other counts over a Gustave Courbet painting, *Mother and Child on a Hammock*. The gallery claims that Thomas Austin Doyle, a convicted con man, orchestrated a scheme to defraud director Patrick Matthiesen, selling the painting—valued at $650,000—through artist and dealer Shalva Sarukhanishvili to Jill Newhouse Gallery for $115,000, which then sold it to top collector Jon Landau for $125,000. The lawsuit also names Landau, who allegedly viewed the work multiple times at TEFAF fairs knowing its retail price, yet refuses to return it. Doyle has a long criminal history, including prior convictions for art fraud and theft.

newspaper ARTnews open_in_new Read original

gavel restitution schedule Aug 6, 2025 visibility 13 link 2 artists

Ancient marble bust returned to Italy following seven-year legal battle

A first-century CE marble bust, known as the "Head of Alexander," was returned to the Italian government on August 5, ending a seven-year legal battle. The bust, believed stolen from an Italian museum decades ago, was seized in 2018 by the Manhattan District Attorney's Antiquities Trafficking Unit from Safani Gallery in New York. The gallery filed multiple lawsuits against Italy and the Italian Ministry of Culture, claiming unlawful taking and seeking compensation, but all claims were dismissed. The bust, excavated in the early 1900s along Rome's Via Sacra, had passed through multiple cities and auctions, including sales at Sotheby Park Bernet and later for $150,000 by Safani Gallery in 2017.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original

trending_up market schedule Nov 21, 2025 visibility 25 link 10 artists, 4 galleries

New York gallery Sperone Westwater to close after 50 years amid lawsuit between co-founders

Sperone Westwater, a prominent New York gallery representing artists like Richard Long and Bruce Nauman, will close at the end of 2025 after 50 years. The closure follows a lawsuit filed by co-founder Gian Enzo Sperone against fellow co-founder Angela Westwater, alleging unlawful handling of funds and a "parasitic deadlock" over the gallery's finances, including rent disputes and salary increases. The gallery will continue its current Richard Long exhibition until December 13 and participate in Art Basel Miami Beach before shutting down on December 31.

newspaper The Art Newspaper open_in_new Read original