Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Tell me again about the public trust (Brooklyn Museum to Sell Francis Bacon Pope at Auction with $6 M. to $8 M. Estimate Edition)

Story here.

Thankfully, thankfully, this is not one of those works that, having fall under the aegis of a museum, was held in the public trust for present and future generations.  And it's not a work whose sale will cause potential donors to ask themselves "Why should I give this to you?  What guarantee do I have that you're not going to sell this tomorrow?"

Phew.  Close call.

Monday, October 14, 2019

"A $200 million art world spat between a prominent Philadelphia philanthropist and an eccentric New York art collector grew increasingly messy Thursday, as one of the men invoked the other’s ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in an effort to discredit his rival."

Story here.  Background on the spat here.

"George Washington High School’s alumni association sues over controversial S.F. mural"

The lawsuit "challenges a vote by the school board in August to cover the New Deal era mural that spans George Washington High School’s lobby with solid panels."  The grounds?  "The group is challenging the August vote to cover it up on the grounds that the district has not conducted an environmental review required by California law."  That's creative.