2024 was another exceptional year for Grossman LLP, as we advanced our decade-plus legacy of trailblazing work in the field of art law, successfully representing our clients in a variety of complex litigation and transactional matters.

For the fifth consecutive year, the firm’s founding partner, Judd Grossman, was recognized by Chambers & Partners High Net Worth Guide 2024 as one of the country’s top litigators in the area of Art and Cultural Property Law. 

Judd was recognized as the only attorney on New York’s 2024 Arts & Culture Power 100.  And ARTnews again included him on its list of the country’s Top Art World Professionals.

The firm continues to add exceptional talent, and this fall we were thrilled to welcome two accomplished attorneys, Emily Andersen and Jacquie Jakimowicz, who already have added tremendous depth to the team.

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Complete Win in Long-Running “Rothko” Forgery Row
The firm achieved a total victory for a prominent New York art dealer against a former NBCUniversal exec in a years-long legal battle over an alleged “Rothko” forgery.  After successfully securing a dismissal of the suit at the trial-court level, we notched a Second Circuit appellate victory, resulting in a total vindication of our client.
 
Landmark Victory in Dispute Involving Basquiat Masterpiece at the Heart of Inigo Philbrick’s Fraud Scheme
In October, the firm secured a major win on behalf of an important collector in litigation arising out of disgraced art dealer Inigo Philbrick’s massive fraud. 

A federal judge concluded that our client holds full title to an important Basquiat painting, and in doing so rejected competing claims by a lender who purported to have taken the painting as collateral on a loan to Philbrick.
 
Successfully Resolving Numerous Disputes Against Leading Auction Houses
The firm assisted clients in avoiding litigation and reaching favorable settlements in multiple wide-ranging disputes against the country’s leading auction houses. 

In one noteworthy matter involving physical damage to a rare masterwork, we secured a seven-figure settlement. 

In another matter, we successfully pursued unpaid introductory commissions owed to a client by a major auction house concerning over $50 million in sales. 

And in another dispute on behalf of a prominent collector, after threatening litigation against a major house over authenticity questions following the purchase at auction of a multi-million-dollar painting, we secured a complete refund for our client.
 
Negotiated Major Art Transactions
This year we continued to counsel collectors, dealers, galleries, and institutions on an array of complex transactions involving high-value artwork, ranging from non-profit arts programs to major auction consignments and guarantees. 

We also have represented collectors in insurance-coverage disputes regarding damage and loss claims concerning high-value artworks, and we continue to provide advice in matters involving important artists’ estates and foundations.

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Other Noteworthy Developments
Defending Peter Beard’s Legacy
The firm continues its long-running representation of groundbreaking artist Peter Beard’s estate and the Peter Beard Studio. 

Most recently, we filed a lawsuit against Heritage Auctions claiming that the auction house failed to conduct adequate pre-sale diligence, resulting in the sale of objects that are not only shrouded in questions about title, but are more accurately described as ephemera, rather than “artworks,” as the auction house’s sales materials advertised.
 
Total Appellate Victory in Long-Running Real Estate Dispute
The team notched a complete victory for an important accounting firm when New York’s Appellate Division unanimously awarded our client summary judgment in a complex real-estate dispute. 

The client’s commercial landlord had sought seven-figure damages based on a slew of contract claims, and even sought to hold the company’s principals individually liable based on alter-ego and veil-piercing theories. 

We were retained to take on the case following the close of discovery, and we obtained a total victory for our client on appeal, resulting in summary judgment in our client’s favor and an end to this long-running litigation.
 
Representing Family in Bid to Recover Works Stolen From One of the Country's Foremost Collections of American Western Art
Since early 2023, we have been battling in federal court on behalf of a family seeking redress in connection with the theft of an important group of American artworks. 

The works were reported as stolen years ago, and investigative and reporting efforts recently revealed that several of them subsequently passed through the hands of a prominent gallerist. 

We have shepherded the case through fact and expert discovery, and we are now in the midst of summary-judgment briefing, where we expect to prevail on the family’s title claims.
 
Ongoing Trial Involving Disposition of Important Artist’s Estate
We continue to represent one of the country’s leading real-estate firms in connection with its long-running efforts to assist an artist’s estate in liquidating its valuable art portfolio to satisfy years of outstanding rent obligations. 

Following the conclusion of landlord-tenant proceedings, the artist’s studio filed for bankruptcy, claiming that the artist’s works and archives left behind at the premises comprised nothing of significant value. 

At that point, the client retained us to leverage our significant art-world connections and trial experience, and to stave off any judicial fire sale of the property.  The Grossman team successfully completed a full day of a bench trial, including a cross-examination that totally dismantled a potential bidder’s testimony that the property was virtually worthless. 

Following that testimony, the parties agreed to adjourn the trial to allow time to pursue other potential sales opportunities, and most recently, through our efforts, other potential buyers have now expressed interest in purchasing the property for nearly 1500% more than any bid the estate had been able to procure.

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Other Highlights
In a special segment of The Baer Faxt Live from Art Basel Miami Beach, Judd recorded live with Josh Baer on the fair’s VIP opening day, discussing industry trends and insights.

Special Counsel Kate Lucas stays at the forefront of emerging trends in art law, and is widely regarded as an established authority featured in publications like Reuters, Crain’s New York Business, and most recently Observer, among others.

Counsel Webster McBride recently finished his four-year tenure on the Advisory Board of the Center for Art Law, where he provided strategic guidance on evolving legal issues, and supported the organization’s mission to advance cutting-edge legal scholarship.