When was the last time you used vintage Elvis stills to pay off your tab?
Things are certainly getting hot in the art world with recent reports that art dealer Harry Stendhal of Stendhal Gallery, Chelsea, NY has swindled famed artist Jonas Mekas and designer Paula Scher to support his affection for a grand lifestyle.
NY Post:The artists, “godfather of avant-garde cinema” Jonas Mekas and designer Paula Scher, charge that Harry Stendhal sold their pieces without giving them their cut and is holding millions of dollars more of their work hostage, according to lawsuits they filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
The pair say that when they confronted Stendhal, he retaliated by barraging them with profanity-laced e-mails.
Profanity laced email? Who doesn’t enjoy receiving profanity laced email when money you believe to be rightfully yours is not in the offing? Personally I prefer the silent treatment, that way there’s always the hope that the accused party is aware of their misgivings and may or may not if enough pressure is applied eventually come clean.
“Don’t f- – k with me — I am warning you,” Stendhal allegedly sneered in one e-mail.
Mmmh, no silent treatment here….
Mekas’ suit contends that he discovered that Stendhal had given his collection of 40 film stills of Elvis Presley to Giuseppe Cipriani to pay off a $90,000 tab.
Which makes us wonder, shouldn’t you be opening a $90 000 bar tab with Giuseppe anytime soon too?
Come on Mr Stendhal, do tell- ‘are you scamming artists, yes or no?’
No , absolutely not
The work “Elvis” bartered was published produced and conceptualized by stendhal gallery
Since the work is in edition of 3 plus one artist proof , this work come from the gallery
Collection , mr mekas receives artist proof that he can open bar tap of his own
In uncertain economic times its easy to take cheap shots at a High Society Gallery Owner who has many affluent friends. But the truth is that Harry Stendhal is himself a visionary and otherwise a creative’s best friend. More creative people who have had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Stendhal and learn from him only improved their own station in life and discovered economic opportunities that they never even contemplated existed for them and their work.. The truth is many creatives starve because there is no “inherent value” to artistic creation. Its highly subjective. That a couple of people are taking pot shots at him is no indictment of the man or his character but more a sign of the times.
He well may be, but we wont know for sure until we interview the alleged aggrieved artists….and get their side of their story, no matter which circles they attend, or cheap their claims may seem to be. I have information from various sources that claim Mr Stendhal isn’t necessarily who he claims to be.
Christopher, with all due respect to the “sources” of your investigative reporting, who are looking to lynch Mr. Stendhal from the security of their private perch or trying his reputation on your blog indicates only an effort to gain some leverage media wise in a case that will ultimately be tried in the courts. The righteous party is not always the one leaking to the press or to bloggers. Repeating accusations from the plaintiff’s side is simply that. To imply that they are more legitimate or well founded with no contrary evidence from the defendant, other than an expression of anger of frustration via email is not guilt. Do we know that these artists have clean hands? Or perhaps a distorted perspective of their work or the gallery’s representation of them? NO we do not. In my opinion having known many artists who have dealt with Stendhal, they do not share that negative view being projected by your sources.
[...] it was reported in the New York Post and referenced in sorted other blogs, including Scallywag & Vagabond, post.thing.net and Hyperallergic (all of whom merely repeated the allegations of the [...]
what more can u ask from a scumbag I heard Harry also stole money from his family what more can u ask for the picture of him should tell u to not go near him and WTF are u eating for 90 grand was it diamond covered pork chops