Estate Disputes and Forgery Fallouts Test Posthumous Art Ownership in the US and Beyond
Recent legal actions and convictions in the United States highlight ongoing conflicts regarding valuation, authenticity, and copyright as the largest transfer of wealth between generations commences. In Oregon, John Moody is pursuing legal action to annul the sale of Chinese artworks, asserting that one piece could be attributed to Xu Beihong, whose artworks have fetched as much as $41.9 million. His lawsuit accuses the buyers of taking advantage of a selling agent's mistake. Sarah Barker from Withers mentions that certain jurisdictions permit the reversal of such transactions. Other significant events in 2026 include postponed sentencing in Canada’s Norval Morrisseau forgery case, a $102 million jury verdict for the Morgan Art Foundation in Manhattan, and a settlement regarding Mike Disfarmer's posthumous prints. Art consultant Caroline Sayan links this increase to the initial significant generation of US collectors liquidating their collections.
Key facts
- John Moody filed a lawsuit in Oregon seeking to reverse an estate sale of Chinese paintings sold for $45 to $275 each
- One ink scroll depicting a galloping horse may be by Xu Beihong, whose works have reached $41.9m at auction
- The suit alleges buyers knowingly took advantage of a selling agent's failure to appreciate the art's value
- Sarah Barker of Withers says sales can be unwound in jurisdictions such as France in cases of fundamental mistake
- Sentencing in the Norval Morrisseau forgery trial in Canada was delayed after Jeff Cowan's lawyer alleged the artist's estate was complicit
- A Manhattan jury awarded $102m in damages to the Morgan Art Foundation, Robert Indiana's former agent, in April
- Relatives of photographer Mike Disfarmer settled with the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts over copyright of hundreds of posthumous prints
- Caroline Taylor of Appraisal Bureau says the challenge is whether collectors adopt estate-planning tools before an estate event
Entities
Artists
- John Moody
- Xu Beihong
- Norval Morrisseau
- Jeff Cowan
- Robert Indiana
- Mike Disfarmer
- Andy Warhol
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Sarah Barker
- Caroline Sayan
- Caroline Taylor
Institutions
- Withers
- Morgan Art Foundation
- Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
- Andy Warhol Authentication Board
- Basquiat estate
- Cadell + Co
- Appraisal Bureau
- Addepar
- The Art Newspaper
Locations
- Oregon
- United States
- Canada
- Manhattan
- New York
- France
- Arkansas