Kenny Schachter Exposes Delinquent Dealers and the Other Salvator Mundi

Kenny Schachter's latest column for Artnet News covers a range of art-world topics, including the spring auctions and fairs in New York, where business was brisk but uneven. He highlights the sale of small works like James Ensor's 'Still life with Stingray' for $140,800 at Sotheby's and Georgia O'Keeffe's double-sided painting for $1.68 million at Phillips. Schachter criticizes dealer payment practices, specifically calling out Gabriel Kilongo of Jupiter Gallery for alleged delays and unpaid bills, leading to the shuttering of its New York space by the Marshall of the City of New York. He also mentions 1969 Gallery, owned by Quang Bao, which closed with debts over $200,000. On the market, he reports that Christie's accepted a $70 million guarantee from the Mugrabi family for a Rothko owned by Agnes Gund, which sold for nearly $100 million. Schachter reveals that the Maastricht version of the Salvator Mundi, owned by Jacqui Safra, is being offered for under $100 million, contrasting it with the $450.3 million version sold to Mohammed bin Salman. He notes Pace Gallery's posthumous editions of Brancusi works and a Banksy painting sold by Loïc Gouzer's Fair Warning for $18 million. The column also covers the group show 'Unfollowing' curated by Robert Storr at 111 Broadway, organized by Falcon Art Collective, running through May 31.