"The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is suing the architects who planned its warehouse expansion five years ago, alleging they failed to design a structure that would prevent condensation from occurring inside that could damage artwork and other precious items."

 Buffalo News story here.

"A Brooklyn Art-Storage Company Is Suing Art Dealer Fergus McCaffrey for Allegedly Failing to Pay His $145,000 Bill"

 artnet news story here.

"Staten Island artist Scott LoBaido has a lawyer and is ready to take on the de Blasio administration in court if the Department of Transportation continues to pressure him to remove his thin blue line outside of the 122 precinct."

The artist says he "painted the blue line as a way to stand in solidarity with the NYPD after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he would paint 'Black Lives Matter” street murals across the five boroughs on the heels of nationwide racial injustice protests." His lawyer argues: "Cites can do one of two things, they can either paint nothing and take no position, or they can allow everybody to paint … their own political points of view on the streets. But they can’t selectively say ‘my political opinion is going to be allowed to be painted and yours is not, and if you paint yours, you’re going to be subject to fines, penalty, imprisonment."

"In a statement to the Daily News, he said: 'It may be left over from my divorce, but I don’t have such a bill.'"

 "Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York City mayor and attorney to Donald Trump, has been hit with a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court by an art advisor who says he failed to pay for her appraisal services, which he received during his contentious divorce from Judith Nathan in 2019.  The advisor, Miller Gaffney, runs the firm MGAA. She is alleging that Giuliani owes more than $15,700 for services rendered."

"An Italian court was weighing whether to press charges, CNN reported on Wednesday."

 NYT:  Tourist Posing With 200-Year-Old Sculpture Breaks Its Toes.

"Art Companies Jostle for Ownership of Basquiat Painting in New Inigo Philbrick–Related Lawsuit"

The latest, from Alex Greenberger at ARTnews, here.

"Doubting Gauguin"

Sebastian Smee in the Washington Post: An amateur detective takes on the National Gallery, and the art world.

"G&M’s petition is the first direct challenge to VARA’s constitutionality, and the Supreme Court’s response to the petition should be closely watched by property owners—including retail stores that may commission street art to adorn their retail space, as well as the art world generally."

5Pointz Owner Seeks SCOTUS Review of VARA. Background here.

Yet another mural dispute

This one in Oslo.

"But just as one mural controversy is ending, another is beginning."

Another mural-related VARA dispute. Story here.

This one may have a statute of limitations complication: "Carrera says the city violated the statute when it installed the parade mural in 2012. She says she never waived her rights to her painting in writing, a requirement of the law."