A Paris court seized 135 allegedly stolen paintings from Paris-based art authenticators ArtAnalysis in January, which had been holding the works for collector Mozes Frisch. The pieces are part of a 1,778-work collection supposedly by heavyweight Russian modernists. Palestinian businessman Uthman Khatib and his son Prince Castro Ben Leon claim the works were stolen from them by Frisch in 2019, and are suing in Germany for return of the works or $323 million. ArtAnalysis owner Laurette Thomas, Frisch, and collector Olivia Amar are countersuing Khatib for return of the Paris-held works plus $30.5 million in damages. The Khatibs' law firm Dentons hired Doerr Dallas Valuations to appraise the 135 disputed works, which assigned a $208 million valuation but included a caveat, likely related to the fact that many works were listed on the Art Loss Register in 2014 during an investigation into disgraced Israeli art dealer Itzhak Zarug, who was suspected of dealing fakes.
This case highlights a growing trend in the art world where authenticators and appraisers are inserting caveats and conditional language into their reports to limit legal liability. The lack of transparency around the valuation and the disputed authenticity of the works underscores the increasing complexity of authentication and appraisal work, particularly when dealing with high-value collections entangled in international legal disputes. The outcome could set precedents for how courts treat conditional appraisals and the responsibilities of authenticators, affecting collectors, dealers, and legal professionals navigating provenance and valuation issues.