Apparently there’s a little housekeeping on the controversy over the Basquiat works owned by Alexis Adler that have come under dispute from the artist’s estate (which refuses to authenticate works.)

On a side note, the two authenticated works from Adler that were included in the First Open sale had mixed results with the door selling well below the estimate range and one within estimates:

After initially saying that the auction would proceed, Christie’s quietly reversed itself, posting a notice on its website: “Our goal is to allow time for all parties involved to reach an equivalent level of confidence in the validity of these items, so that the sale may resume at a later date.”

Alexis Adler, the owner of the auction items, said in an emailed statement that she was disappointed by the decision and that she “looks forward to bringing the Basquiat Estate to the same level of confidence that she and Christie’s share in the unassailable authenticity of these early and seminal works which she acquired from Jean-Michel.”

Basquiat Auction by Christie’s Is Postponed (ArtsBeat/NYTimes)