Sign of the times: Robins v. Zwirner et al.

7 April 2010

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Craig Robins. Photo: Facebook

A powerhouse Chelsea art dealer got slammed with a $8 million lawsuit in a New York court from a prominent American collector. The claim states that the dealer renegged on a confidentiality agreement and a promise to supply the collector with first dibs on new works by South African artist Marlene Dumas, who had a recent retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art.

The dealer, David Zwirner, countered with claims that the collector, real estate developer Craig Robins, was speculating on art, flipping it for profit and as a tax-break strategy.

Alexandra Peers writes, "Whichever side wins, it throws a spotlight on the growth of a stratified collector caste system, the rise in the practice of flipping art for profit, the development of sophisticated tax strategies to aid in art trading—and the widespread inability of any art-worlder to keep their mouth shut for long."

The David Zwirner Gallery is currently hosting a Marlene Dumas solo show, "Against the Wall," through April 24. The New York Post reported that Robins wanted to buy 3 works from this show, but received no repsonse from the gallery.

Read more at New York Observer

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