An art dealer has been ordered by a London court to pay £111,000 for a missing abstract painting. The judge described the artwork, created by Mexican artist Bosco Sodi, as resembling a giant “burnt digestive biscuit.” The painting, a round piece with a cracked surface made from natural pigment, sawdust, wood pulp, natural fibers, water, and glue, disappeared after being loaned to art dealer Esperanza Koren in 2012. Barcelona-based gallery Principal Art, the owner of the painting, sued Koren for €100,000 (£85,700). Koren had allegedly promised to purchase the artwork in 2013 but failed to pay and claimed she didn’t know its whereabouts.
During the trial at Central London county court, Judge Alan Saggerson made the humorous comparison to a burnt digestive biscuit and acknowledged its value in certain circles. Koren, who worked as an agent for Principal Art gallery, had borrowed a set of paintings to exhibit in 2012. However, her representation was unsuccessful, and she was asked to return the unsold artworks. The missing Bosco Sodi painting was not among the returned pieces.
The gallery contacted Koren through WhatsApp, requesting the return of the artwork as they had found a buyer in Miami willing to pay €100,000 for it. However, Koren failed to return the painting and instead offered to purchase it for the same amount. The gallery argued that these WhatsApp messages constituted a legally binding contract. Despite this, the artwork remains missing, and no payment has been made after ten years.
According to a gallery employee named Carlos, who messaged Koren, the large red Bosco Sodi painting was missing, and he needed it urgently for the potential buyer in Miami. Koren replied agreeing to pay the requested price. When asked about the painting’s whereabouts, Koren claimed she didn’t know.
Koren requested an adjournment, which was denied, and the judge found it strange that she had no recollection of the painting’s location or its current owner. The judge concluded that Koren likely used the artwork as collateral for other debts and lost track of it. He awarded £86,500 in damages, along with interest and costs, resulting in a total sum of £111,000.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
