Hubert Neumann is the son of Morton Neumann who collected 500 works of art. His son Hubert updated the collection after his father’s death in 1985 with some extraordinary works. The collection is well known to the auction house and museum professionals who seek access to the Neumann collection’s rich trove of works.
Hubert’s wife Dolores died in September of 2016. She left her Basquiat Flesh and Spirit to one of her three daughters who consigned it to Sotheby’s early this Spring. Hubert Neumann is not very happy about that. He has filed a lawsuit that seems to target his daughter and deceased wife more than anyone else by claiming the sale of the work violates his agreement with Sotheby’s for all works from the Neumann Family Collection to be sold with marketing approval from him.
That the complaint clearly says Dolores Neumann bought Flesh and Spirit herself doesn’t seem to bother Hubert or place the work outside the family collection.
