Art Industry News: A Countess Is Suing Over for an ‘Unprofessional and Shoddy’ Chardin Sale That Cost Her $9 Million + Other Stories

NEED-TO-READ

London’s Art Scene, 25 Years After “Sensation” – The looks back on “Sensation,” the art show that put London—and the so-called “Young British Artists” like Damien Hirst—on the international art map. (New York Times)

Concerns Raised Over Former Museum Director’s Dealings – Ex-MFA Boston director Malcolm Rogers has come under fire over expert opinions he offered to collector James Stunt on a number of works by Van Dyck and other artists that upgraded their attributions and increased their value by more than $77 million. (Boston Globe)

Festival of Britain Is Being Audited – The U.K.’s national audit office is investigating the £120 million arts festival, Unboxed, following criticism from parliamentary officials who deemed it an “excessive waste of money.” ()

Countess Sues Art Dealer Over Chardin Sale – The Countess of Wemyss and March is suing art dealer Simon Dickinson for lost funds after he sold her painting, which was at that time attributed to “Chardin and studio,” for a mere £1.2 million in 2014. When the version of was subsequently deep cleaned and reattributed to Chardin himself, it would go on to sell for the equivalent of $10.5 million (£9.3 million)—£6.6 million in cash plus a £2.7 million Watteau. (Telegraph)

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Art Reporter Grace Glueck Has Died – The veteran journalist whose revelatory writing elevated art reporting to an essential subject, and whose sex-discrimination lawsuit was instrumental in opening up the to female reporters, has died at 96. (Artforum)

U.K. Government Art Collection Gets a Permanent Space – The government art collection will open a public viewing room at its headquarters in the Old Admiralty building near Trafalgar Square in 2023. There, it will show selections from its 15,000-work collection which ranges from Thomas Gainsborough to Tracey Emin. (The Art Newspaper)

Philadelphia Museum Is Getting Trolled Online – The museum has disabled comments on its Instagram and Twitter accounts after they were flooded with messages of support for striking workers, who are trying to negotiate a fair contract on healthcare and wages. (Hyperallergic)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Fondation Louis Vuitton Opens “Monet – Mitchell” Blockbuster – Ahead of the new Paris + art fair, the Paris museum brings together Monet’s 13-foot (c. 1915–26) and a selection of 10 paintings from Joan Mitchel’s “Grand Vallée” series (1983–84), among other works that explore the artists’ common interests in nature and atmosphere. ()