Although Gagosian settled the confounding sale of a Mark Tansey painting that had been partially donated to the Met, the same seller—or, we should say, owner—has another issue with the gallery. According to the New York Post, Jan Cowles claims the gallery overstepped in another transaction:
Court papers filed by Cowles last night state the Tansey, along with a $4.5 million work from Roy Lichtenstein’s “Girl in Mirror” series, were sold by her son, Charles, to Gagosian, “without her knowledge or consent” in 2008-2009. Court papers say the Lichtenstein, in good condition, was shipped to art fairs, then sold to a mystery buyer for $2 million in “damaged condition.” Cowles argues the work was not damaged and may have been sold in a “dishonest fashion.” Her lawyer, David Baum, said, “Gagosian’s conduct was blatant and egregious.” Gagosian’s rep declined to comment.
$14m Suit Hits Gagosian (NY Post)