Art Institute to defend ownership of watercolor Nazis Allegedly stole during Holocaust

The Art Institute of Chicago will soon get to make its case that it is the rightful owner of a $1.25 million watercolor that prosecutors in New York believe was stolen from a Jewish cabaret star killed during the Holocaust.

Oral arguments in the case are set to begin April 3, according to a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, which in September issued warrants seizing three of Egon Schiele’s works.

One was “Russian War Prisoner,” a watercolor on paper, at the Art Institute.

Via Chicago Sun Times

Hindman and Freeman’s Merge to Create a Formidable New Auction House

Hindman and Freeman’s auction houses announced that they have merged to create a new heavyweight player at the top of the middle-tier market.

The new house, dubbed Freeman’s | Hindman, is poised to have the largest coast-to-coast presence of any auction house in the United States, bridging the assets of the 200-year-old Freeman’s to Hindman in Chicago and beyond, Hindman announced in a news release.

Via Artnet

Art Institute's Picasso Exhibition Recognizes Family, Friends and Lovers Crucial to the Artist’s Career

“Picasso: Drawing from Life” spotlights the artist’s works on paper. The exhibition also explores the influence of friends, muses, fellow artists and dealers — the network of people who aroused passions in Pablo Picasso and contributed to his success.

Some prints and drawings are tender and loving. Others are brutal and bestial, not unexpected for a complex human who said both “Love is the greatest refreshment in life” and “There are only two types of women — goddesses and doormats.”

Via WTTW