Dmitry Rybolovlev sues Sotheby’s for $380m

Our daily round-up of news from the art world

Dmitry Rybolovlev sues Sotheby’s for $380m | The Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev has filed a lawsuit against Sotheby’s for $380m in Manhattan federal court, Bloomberg reports. The lawsuit, which alleges that Sotheby’s ‘materially assisted in the largest art fraud in history’, is the latest development in an ongoing legal feud between Rybolovlev and Swiss art dealer Yves Bouvier, whom Rybolovlev accuses of overcharging him in the sale of 38 artworks for $2bn. Rybolovlev believes that Sotheby’s was involved in almost a third of these sales. In response, Sotheby’s has stated that ‘the false allegations that Mr. Rybolovlev is making are already being litigated in the Swiss courts, which is the appropriate venue for this case’.

Hadeel Ibrahim elected chair of the ICA in London | Hadeel Ibrahim, the founding director of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, has been elected as the new chair of the ICA in London. Ibrahim, who replaces Donald A. Moore, currently serves on the board of the Clinton Foundation, as well as Amnesty International’s General Secretary’s Global Board. She is also co-chair of the board of directors of the Africa Center in New York.

Ringling renames its Center for Asian Art after donation | The Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, has announced plans to rename its Centre for Asian Art to the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian Art, following the receipt of a donation of an undisclosed amount from the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation. The gift will go towards raising funds for the acquisition and exhibition of Asian art at the museum, and is part of a broader campaign by the Ringling to raise $100m.

Jewish peers criticise plans for new Holocaust Memorial in London | In a letter to The Times yesterday (2 October), eight Jewish peers criticised plans for a £50m national Holocaust Memorial to be built in Victoria Tower Gardens outside Parliament. The winning design was produced by architect David Adjaye and Anglo-Israeli sculptor Ron Arad and includes a learning centre. However, the plans have previously been criticised by local residents and environmental groups. The eight peers have called instead for a reallocation of the funds to ‘a smaller, simpler memorial in Westminster, enhancement of the Imperial Museum project and to further study of the impact of Holocaust learning and memorials’. Their letter can be read in full on Jewish News.