Martha Lufkin

Lawsuitsarchive

Collector and Madoff associate Ezra Merkin finds himself in court

He is accused of defrauding his investors, which include charities

Forgeriesarchive

New York- and Miami-based dealer Giuseppe Concepcion accused over multiple forgeries

Concepcion is alleged to have sold fake Matisses and Calders among others, complete with forged certificates of authenticity

Park West sued by customers who demand refunds for "fake" works

The gallery dismisses the suit as a “smear campaign”

Minneapolis hands Léger to collector’s family

The painting was stolen from its Jewish owner during the Nazi occupation of France

The increasing role of the market in settling restitution claims

Shakeouts of Nazi-looted occurring increasingly in the marketplace

Newsarchive

Artist John Chamberlain can be sued over disputed Warhol, says Judge

Former Factory assistant claims he made the disputed work

Stedelijk returns five Malevich works to artist’s heirs

Museum retains 79 works on long-term loan from the City of Amsterdam

Rauschenberg gallery to continue lawsuit after artist’s death

Case seeks to punish defendant for selling works found in trash

Leopold Museum in Vienna accused over Nazi-looted art

Institution says restitution laws don’t apply as it is a private gallery

Rauschenberg sues artist for selling his trash

Robert Francis Montgomery's dumpster diving has landed him in litigation

Dutch restitution group to carry on for three more years

Former vice-president of the Dutch Supreme Court is named chairman

Newsarchive

Heirs of millionaire art collector at loggerheads

The difficulty has arisen because Mr Eastman left the bulk of his estate in a “marital trust” for his wife

MoMA and Guggenheim file joint appeal against restitution effort

They dispute claims made by Julius Schoeps on Picassos in their collection

UBSarchive

Swiss bank UBS used Art Basel Miami Beach to entice Americans in tax avoidance scheme

Former employee who facilitated the use of offshore accounts sentenced this month for “conspiracy to defraud” US and Internal Revenue Service

City of Amsterdam may be sued by the US over lawsuit brought by Malevich heirs

The heirs of Kazimir Malevich are seeking the return of 14 paintings from the Stedelijk Museum, claiming they are not entitled to the paintings

Art marketarchive

“Fake” Picasso is warning to make deals formal

Court to rule on payment “held in trust”

Norton Simon Museum of Art and Goudstikker heiress to go to court over fight for Cranachs

Marei von Saher claims they are Nazi loot, while Norton Simon believes it has legal title to the paintings

Pakistanarchive

Starving Buddha sculpture returned to Pakistan

But leading London expert says it’s a fake

Stolen art discovered in reclusive collector’s estate

Christie’s and the Stair Galleries both cancelled sales as a result

Auschwitz survivor wants her art back from concentration camp

Roma portraits were made by Jewish prisoner on the orders of Dr Josef Mengele

Newsarchive

Nazi war loot held in Austrian museums to be sold if unclaimed

The database of all art with questionable provenance is now online

May 2006archive

As US museums face mounting legal issues, an annual conference explores what to do with whistleblowers and dodgy donors

Recent corporate scandals have raised concerns that American charities should be examining their ethics policies

Iranarchive

Victims of Hamas suicide bombers demand Iranian antiquities from US museums in compensation for injuries

Terrorist attacks in Jerusalem which killed five and injured hundreds were executed with funding from Iran—say plaintiffs in several lawsuits

Books: The view from eastern Europe on restitution

These essays emanate from a series of Polish conferences

Art marketarchive

Debt and legal troubles force Berry-Hill Galleries to file for bankruptcy

Christie’s is owed $14 million and there are over 100 other creditors