The New York Times had a
piece this weekend on a painting -- “Flags, Fifth Avenue” (1917) by Childe Hassam -- in the middle of the nasty legal battle involving philanthropist Brooke Astor. Apparently Mrs. Astor's son sold the painting in 2002 for about $10 million, receiving a 20 percent commission in the process. The Times sees the painting "as a symbol of the issues at the center of the case: an ailing woman’s prized possession sold under circumstances that remain unclear, and questions about whether the proceeds from the sale were dealt with appropriately by her son." You can see an image of the painting
here.
