IFAR Journal
Volume 14, No. 3
2013
Two Frida Kahlo Portraits: One Found, One Confirmed
— Salomon Grimberg, Jane C. H. Jacob, and Laurent Sozzani
The three authors, a co-author of the Frida Kahlo catalogue raisonné; an art historian/researcher; and a paintings conservator, confirm the attribution of a newly discovered Kahlo portrait by means of stylistic and materials analysis, bolstered by historical and biographical evidence. In the process, the authenticity of a previously known but questioned Kahlo portrait is reconfirmed.
The Case of the “Not Right” Basquiat
— Joseph A. Patella
The attorney representing Christie’s in a landmark suit brought against the auction house by both the immediate and the downstream purchaser of a fake Basquiat painting sold at auction discusses how the downstream purchaser’s fraud claims survived dismissal but ultimately failed to show that Christie’s intended to defraud.
Book Review: The Expanding World of Easel Paintings Conservation: a review of Conservation of Easel Paintings
— Marco Grassi
A paintings conservator discusses a new anthology’s expansive yet balanced treatment of the many aspects of conserving easel paintings, including the art historical, technical and scientific considerations involved.
Meet the Art Advisory Council: A Conversation with Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann
— Virgilia P. Klein
An interview with Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann, the professor and historian of Dutch and Flemish art and long-time member of IFAR’s Art Advisory Council, in what is the beginning of a new series highlighting IFAR’s distinguished Board and Council members.
News & Updates: Is a Portrait Found in a Swiss Vault a Missing Leonardo da Vinci or Another Wannabe?
— Lisa Duffy-Zeballos and Sharon Flescher
The authors summarize the arguments, pro and con, for the Leonardo attribution of a newly discovered portrait painting. Materials and stylistic analysis and documentary evidence are considered.
News & Updates: Breaking News: Still Another Leonardo?
— Lisa Duffy-Zeballos
Mention of the recent discovery of a series of underdrawings on the walls of a room in the Castello Sforzesco in Milan that are said to be by Leonardo.
News & Updates: The Long Arms of a Textbook Case -- Kirtsaeng Book Decision Applauded by Museums
— Ann-Margret Gidley and Sharon Flescher
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision concerning the legality of goods purchased at lower prices overseas and then imported and resold in the U.S., which hinged on the interpretation of the “first sale” doctrine of the U.S. Copyright Act, has potential consequences for U.S. art museums as well as publishers.
News & Updates: Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze Enters Restitution Fray Again, as
a 2009 Austrian Amendment is Put to the Test
— Michele Wijegoonaratna and Sharon Flescher
A discussion of the multiple claims made by the heirs of a Klimt patron for a frieze by the artist now in the collection of a Viennese museum. The heirs have based a third and recent claim on an amendment to the 2009 Austrian Art Restitution Act.
News & Updates: U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Review Fair Use Decision Favoring Prince
— Ann-Margret Gidley and Sharon Flescher
An update on a lawsuit, Cariou v. Prince, reported on previously in IFAR Journal regarding appropriation artist Richard Prince’s use of copyrighted photographs by Patrick Cariou.
News & Updates: Fingerprint Specialist’s Defamation Suit Against The New Yorker Fails; Appeal Expected
— Ann-Margret Gidley and Sharon Flescher
An update of a story reported on previously in IFAR Journal regarding the defamation lawsuit brought by Peter Paul Biro, a proponent of fingerprint analysis in art authentication, against the publisher Condé Nast and the author David Grann.
News & Updates: Round Two: U.S. Government v. Sotheby’s -- Meanwhile U.S. MOU with Cambodia Renewed
— Ann-Margret Gidley and Sharon Flescher
An update on a case reported previously in IFAR Journal concerning a claim on a Cambodian Khmer sculpture withdrawn from a Sotheby’s sale in March. Meanwhile, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Cambodia has been extended.
News & Updates: New Sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
In June 2013 the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Committee added 19 cultural and natural sites to its long list of sites of “outstanding universal value” in 160 nations.
News & Updates: Syrian Red List Published
ICOM’s list identifies five categories of Syrian cultural goods most vulnerable to illicit trafficking.
In Memoriam
Philip C. Jessup, Jr., Member of IFAR’s Law Advisory Council
Stolen Art
Stolen items include Norman Rockwell’s Sport, stolen in Queens, NY; Camille Pissarro’s Rue à Macôn, stolen in New York City; Albert Kindler’s Young Woman at a Kitchen Table, stolen in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Recovered Art
Recovered items include a Martinus Weiler astrolabe, stolen in Sweden; an A. Andrews Gold Rush-Era jewelry box, stole in Oakland, California; Pierre-Hubert Subleyras’ Cupid & Psyche, missing in London.
Missing Art
Missing items include Natalia Gontcharova’s Electricité, missing in Belgium; two works from the Schulhof Collection in Kings Point, NY: Frank Stella’s Tuftonboro and Norman Lewis’ Flower.
