Jeff Koons Gazing Ball sculpture at center of $6 million lawsuit between Fabrizio Moretti and David Zwirner

Jeff Koons' 2013 sculpture Gazing Ball (Centaur and Lapith Maiden) has been identified as the artwork involved in a legal dispute between Italian Renaissance art dealer Fabrizio Moretti and David Zwirner gallery. Moretti filed an amended complaint seeking $6 million in damages, alleging he paid $2 million for a limited edition piece but never received it. The dealer claims other buyers received their numbered editions while his work was not delivered, and he accuses the gallery of unprofessional treatment. Moretti initially saw the sculpture in David Zwirner's 2013 Gazing Ball exhibition and entered a purchase agreement, paying a $400,000 deposit followed by a final $200,000 payment in June 2015. Complications arose when it became apparent the editions produced differed from the exhibition piece Moretti intended to purchase. David Zwirner's spokeswoman called the lawsuit "entirely meritless," stating Moretti refused to collect the sculpture when notified it was ready. The gallery's lawyers are filing a motion to dismiss, denying contract breach since Moretti didn't specify delivery deadlines and suggesting the lawsuit serves as negotiation tactic for a deal he lost interest in. The Art Newspaper reported the amended complaint naming the specific artwork.