Art collector Stuart Pivar from New York is embroiled in a legal dispute, accusing his lawyer of unlawfully taking his Andy Warhol painting. He is suing for a staggering $10m in damages.
On 17th April, Pivar lodged a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court against Mitchell Cantor, his attorney. Pivar, who co-founded the New York Academy of Art and was a close associate of Warhol, alleges Cantor illicitly appropriated his painting and committed professional negligence and malpractice. The image, a 1977 portrait of Pivar, was sold to Cantor for $100,000, despite its $5m estimated worth. The two had previously agreed to a buy-back option in September, which would have allowed Pivar to repurchase the artwork for $150,000. However, Pivar alleges that Cantor did not uphold this agreement.
Pivar explained that he sold the artwork to Cantor, who had been handling his legal matters since 2019, due to an immediate need for funds. Pivar further stated that he tried repurchasing the painting in March, but Cantor informed him it was no longer available.
Pivar regretted his decision to sell the painting to his lawyer, admitting it was reckless. Cantor, whose company Concordia Fine Art is also implicated in the lawsuit, responded by accusing Pivar of unfounded claims and disregarding facts. Cantor needed to provide information regarding the current location of the painting.
This is not the first time Pivar has levelled accusations of art theft against his lawyers. In 2019, he sued his attorney John McFadden for $200m, alleging that McFadden deceived him into selling a sculpture by Constantin Brancusi for a mere $100,000. Pivar claimed that McFadden misled him and kept the artwork for himself.
Pivar has faced challenges in art due to his association with Jeffrey Epstein and a lawsuit against Sotheby’s. He told The Art Newspaper that he has difficulty selling art because of a $2bn lawsuit he filed against Sotheby’s in 2020. The auction house refused to deal with any pieces from his collection or accept his bids at their sales.
In 2021, Pivar also filed a lawsuit against the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam for refusing to authenticate a painting he claims is a work by Vincent van Gogh. The lawsuit was dismissed by a New York federal judge in 2022.
Pivar is now offering “indemnification and a surfeit of gratitude” as a reward for the safe return of his Warhol portrait.
Pivar has a well-documented history of legal disputes regarding his art collection. In this latest incident, he alleges that he was compelled to sell the Warhol portrait to his lawyer due to a pressing need for cash, only to find that his buy-back option was not honoured. Pivar’s frustration is evident, “The crux of the matter is how I ended up making such a naive decision, borrowing $100,000 from my lawyer, who I already had doubts about. This is certainly one of the most imprudent things I’ve ever done.”
Cantor, on the other hand, dismisses Pivar’s accusations as unfounded and delusional. His business, Concordia Fine Art, also implicated in the suit, has not issued any further statements. The current location of the Warhol painting remains to be discovered, raising even more questions about this complex legal dispute.
Previously in 2019, Pivar had filed a lawsuit against another lawyer, John McFadden, accusing him of tricking him into selling a Constantin Brancusi sculpture at a fraction of its value. This history of legal disputes over art transactions highlights the challenges that Pivar has faced in the art world.
His art dealings have also been complicated by his association with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Furthermore, his legal battle with Sotheby’s, a renowned auction house, has isolated him further within the art community. The auction house has refused to accept any artworks from his collection or bids from him at their sales, following Pivar’s $2bn lawsuit against them in 2020.
Pivar’s legal disputes extended beyond the U.S. when he sued the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in 2021. He sought the museum’s authentication for a painting he believed was a work by Vincent van Gogh. However, this lawsuit was also dismissed by a New York federal judge in 2022.
As the legal battle over the Warhol painting continues, Pivar has offered “indemnification and a surfeit of gratitude” to anyone who can ensure the safe return of his portrait. The intricacies of this case underline the complexity of art transactions and the potential for disputes when large sums of money and valuable artworks are involved.
