That's just what happened to Park Slope artist Margaret Bowland,
whose oil painting was featured at a Smithsonian exhibition from March
2009-August 2010. The painting, titled "Kenyetta and Brianna," was given
a People's Choice Award. At the end of the exhibit, the Smithsonian had
difficulty contacting Bowland to let her know that she could retrieve
her art. The New York Daily News explains:
"In the final weeks of the show, the
Smithsonian sent two emails to Bowland about returning the painting, but
the messages were sent to an old email address, according to the
complaint filed in Brooklyn Federal Court."
When the museum couldn't get a hold of Bowland, they contacted the
Klaudia Marr Gallery in New Mexico, where the Smithsonian initially
discovered the painting. The gallery told the Smithsonian to ship the
painting directly to David Naylor, an interior designer who paid $40,000
for the work. According to Bowland and her lawyer, the New Mexico
gallery had no right to sell the painting, and the Smithsonian no right
to ship it without her knowledge.
Here's my question: Couldn't the Smithsonian like, get Bowland's
number from the New Mexico gallery owner? Didn't ANYONE have this
chick's phone number? We're not talking about loaning your prized copy
of Twilight here, this is a nationally recognized AWARD WINNING PAINTING.
The Klaudia Marr gallery has since closed, so Bowland is suing the
man who purchased the painting. She told The Daily News that the price
of $40,000 is a low-balled price: '"I worked like a dog on the painting and it is a big deal to me,' she said."
The Daily News doesn't mention if Bowland accepted the $40K or not,
but if she has yet to cash that check, here's hoping she'll be able to
get her artwork back.
No comments:
Post a Comment
terima kasih telah berkunjung semoga bermanfaat