The Courthouse News Service alerts us to this law suit involving Berry-Hill Galleries:
An art dealer claims that Berry-Hill Galleries sold or traded consigned paintings without handing over the money, and sold it a counterfeit painting George Inness painting for $190,000 and refused its demand for a refund. 624 Art Holdings sued Berry-Hill Galleries, its owners James and Frederick Hill, and R.H. Bluestein & Co. in New York County Court. Art Holdings claims that Bluestein bought one of the paintings without clearing the title. […] Among the paintings covered by the agreement were George Bellows – Jersey Woods; George lnness – Approaching Storm; Worthington Whittredge – Beach Scene, Newport; Charles Sheeler – Meta-Mold; and Edmund Tarbell – Mrs. Tarbell at Evening, according to the complaint.
Art Holdings says it learned that Berry-Hill had sold the Whittredge painting to Michigan gallery R.H. Bluestein, which “took custody of the painting without having obtained genuine title or other truthful incidence of ownership to it.” Berry-Hill had given the Scheeler work to someone in exchange for another painting and cash, Art Holdings says. Berry-Hill had traded the Tarbell painting for “a painting of far less face value,” and pocketed cash paid for the difference, Art Holdings claims. And it claims that Berry-Hill did not pay it any money for the sale or exchange of its pieces.
Fraud Alleged in George Innes Art Sale (Courthouse News Service)