Marc Chagall’s water-damaged 1952 drawing “Scène biblique pour Marcel Arland.” (Courtesy of Arapahoe District Court)
A local tech executive is accusing the auction house Sotheby’s of improperly packaging a 20th century French drawing and a Salvador Dali sculpture for which he paid $49,000.
Leon Farfel is the CEO of Toolcase, an anti-fraud information technology company based in the Denver Tech Center. He also bought a former church at 1001 S. Pearl St. in West Wash Park in 2020 and had it rezoned. It has an upstairs residence and downstairs office space.
In a lawsuit that Farfel filed without a lawyer last month, he called himself “an avid art collector” who has “an extensive collection of works” by Marc Chagall, an early modernist painter.
Last October, Farfel was the high bidder for Chagall’s “Scène biblique pour Marcel Arland” and “Le cabinet anthropomorphique,” a bronze sculpture by Dali. He paid $49,164.
“No damage was disclosed by the defendants and the photos provided online as part of the auction description showed the works to be in fine, collector grade condition,” Farfel said.
Farfel paid $3,300 for premium shipping from London and the artworks arrived in a crate in January. He took more than one dozen photos as he and an assistant opened it.
The CEO believes the outside of the crate remained well-sealed but that there was moisture inside before it was sealed. Plywood was warped and the Chagall drawing was dampened, according to Farfel and the photos that he attached to his September lawsuit.
Farfel said that he sought an amicable resolution with Sotheby’s and had a call with its lawyer in February, but Sotheby’s “ignored and/or dismissed” his attempts at a resolution. Farfel claims he “has suffered major anxiety, loss of sleep, panic attacks and significant distress” due to Sotheby’s alleged negligence “and its cavalier and dismissive response.”
Sotheby’s spokespeople did not answer requests for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in Arapahoe District Court. Farfel did not answer calls and emails seeking an interview.
Marc Chagall’s water-damaged 1952 drawing “Scène biblique pour Marcel Arland.” (Courtesy of Arapahoe District Court)
A local tech executive is accusing the auction house Sotheby’s of improperly packaging a 20th century French drawing and a Salvador Dali sculpture for which he paid $49,000.
Leon Farfel is the CEO of Toolcase, an anti-fraud information technology company based in the Denver Tech Center. He also bought a former church at 1001 S. Pearl St. in West Wash Park in 2020 and had it rezoned. It has an upstairs residence and downstairs office space.
In a lawsuit that Farfel filed without a lawyer last month, he called himself “an avid art collector” who has “an extensive collection of works” by Marc Chagall, an early modernist painter.
Last October, Farfel was the high bidder for Chagall’s “Scène biblique pour Marcel Arland” and “Le cabinet anthropomorphique,” a bronze sculpture by Dali. He paid $49,164.
“No damage was disclosed by the defendants and the photos provided online as part of the auction description showed the works to be in fine, collector grade condition,” Farfel said.
Farfel paid $3,300 for premium shipping from London and the artworks arrived in a crate in January. He took more than one dozen photos as he and an assistant opened it.
The CEO believes the outside of the crate remained well-sealed but that there was moisture inside before it was sealed. Plywood was warped and the Chagall drawing was dampened, according to Farfel and the photos that he attached to his September lawsuit.
Farfel said that he sought an amicable resolution with Sotheby’s and had a call with its lawyer in February, but Sotheby’s “ignored and/or dismissed” his attempts at a resolution. Farfel claims he “has suffered major anxiety, loss of sleep, panic attacks and significant distress” due to Sotheby’s alleged negligence “and its cavalier and dismissive response.”
Sotheby’s spokespeople did not answer requests for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in Arapahoe District Court. Farfel did not answer calls and emails seeking an interview.
