Good Morning!
- New York’s Supreme Court ordered dealer David Nahmad to return a contested Amedeo Modigliani painting to the heirs of a Holocaust victim within 30 days.
- Paula Cooper Gallery has won the inaugural Art Basel Gallery Legacy Award.
- The Louvre museum is “at the end of its rope,” said its president.
The Headlines
A MODIGLIANI MESS. On Tuesday, the New York Supreme Court ordered billionaire art dealer David Nahmad to return a prized Amedeo Modigliani within 30 days to the grandson of the late Jewish dealer Oscar Stettiner, reports The Art Newspaper. In April, Stettiner’s grandson, Philippe Maestracci, won the 11-year-old legal dispute to obtain the painting, titled Seated Man With a Cane (1918), but no timeline had been set. Nahmad’s lawyers immediately said they are appealing the ruling, because it was “made without the testimony of the only eyewitnesses who saw the Modigliani,” and they insist the plaintiffs have their Modiglianis mixed up, and that the looted painting was not Seated Man With a Cane. Maestracci’s side is standing firm and has filed a memorandum in opposition to the appeal, which they said could delay restitution for another five years. Meanwhile, Nahmad has filed appeals four times in the case, all of which were denied. “All an appeal may do is further delay restitution to the Holocaust victim’s heir,” said Maestracci’s lawyer, Phillip C. Landrigran.
RAISE A GLASS. Paula Cooper Gallery has won Art Basel’s first Legacy Award, and per the prize’s design, nominated the younger gallery Chapter NY as the recipient of $50,000 towards their participation in next year’s fair, ARTnews reports. The fair announced the winner last night, at a packed dinner in Basel’s medieval Safran Zunft, or guild, where the 33 nominated medalists for the second edition of the 2026 Art Basel Awards were also feted for their contributions across multiple artistic categories. Those winners will be announced on Miami Beach in December. The new legacy award fills a “gap” in limited recognition for gallery achievements and honors an influential gallery that has shown a sustained, long-term commitment to artists. In a statement, Paula Cooper, who could not attend in person, said that “To me, the value of the Art Basel fair is the vast accessibility it provides to work from around the world that one might not see otherwise, and the ability to see and meet people with the same interests— providing an opportunity to exchange ideas, form new friendships, and develop collaborations.” The award was accepted by Steven P. Henry, senior partner at the gallery. As for Chapter NY’s founder, Nicole Russo, who was moved to tears upon accepting her award, she stated that, “Whenever I’m asked what kind of gallery I want Chapter to be like, I have always answered Paula Cooper.”
The Digest
Last night, President Donald Trump signed an accord to end the war in Iran while dining with French President Emmanuel Macron at the lavish Palais de Versailles museum. [The New York Times]
Today, the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum is launching a new exhibition, titled “Unhidden Heroines,” which virtually places 3D renditions of important female figures from American history in National Mall monuments, seen via smartphone or tablet. [Axios]
For 24 hours, beginning July 3, dissident artist Ai Weiwei will reenact the experience he spent detained in a Chinese prison for his first endurance performance, which will take place at Aviva Studios in Manchester. [Artnet News]
Average auction estimates fell in May this year, particularly for the middle market, but also more broadly. [Puck]
Germany has returned a Nazi-looted gold ring that once belonged to 16th-century Polish King Sigismund I., as well as a 14th-century book of Polish hymns. [Notes from Poland]
British artists Gilbert & George, now in their 80s, talk with the 41-year-old street artist Endless about their friendship, artistic crossover, and the duo’s legacy. [The Guardian]
The Kicker
ONE HOT POTATO. For his last artwork before he died last year at age 73, the photographer Martin Parr aimed his lens — once again— at English village life in Lacock, capturing the everyday, overlooked peculiarities that help shape the spirit of a place. [He had also photographed the area in the 1980’s.] While “some photographers are looking for the perfect shot,” writes Laura Freeman, the chief art critic for the London Times, “Parr was after the perfect potato.” That brings us to the Lacock Garden and Allotment Association Annual Flower Show in Wiltshire, where Parr photographed the first-prize-winning spud, proudly presented by a certain Anthony Edwards. In Parr’s close-up, the rather large, light golden-brown potato sits, dirt-encrusted bumps and all, at the center of a gold paper plate. Beside it, a pink slip indicates in all caps, “FIRST PRIZE,” forever immortalizing the potato and providing the subject for one prize-deserving artwork. To see it, and others from Parr’s final series, head to Lacock Abbey’s Fox Talbot Museum.
