In the Arts: Judge Gives Green Light to Warhol Foundation Suit

A New York judge this week ruled that an art collector could pursue a lawsuit claiming fraud by the organization that authenticates Andy Warhol’s work, Bloomberg and The New York Times report.

According to court papers, a Warhol self-portrait judged authentic by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts when collector Joe Simon-Whelan purchased it in 1989 has since twice been declared fake by the group. Mr. Simon-Whelan has accused the foundation of seeking to inflate the value of Warhol works by limiting supply, a charge it denies.

In other arts news, The New York Times says that New York’s Film-Makers’ Cooperative, which faced closure after being evicted from a city-owned TriBeCa property, has found a new lease on life thanks to the real-estate developer Charles S. Cohen, who will lease new quarters to the experimental-film outfit for a symbolic $1 a year.

Also, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts has eliminated three of its 15 full-time positions and reduced working hours for remaining staff members to relieve fiscal pressure stemming from deep cuts in state funds for the University of Utah, which operates the museum, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

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