MGM STUDIO/VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Yesterday Page Six reported a story, brought to the publication by an unnamed source, that might have been puzzling to anyone who attended Art Basel last week.
According to Page Six’s source, an Andy Warhol silkscreen of Judy Garland from the collection of the actress’ daughter, Liza Minnelli, was sold by dealer Larry Gagosian at the fair for $7 million. But in fact, there was a Warhol silkscreen of Judy Garland very prominently displayed at the booth of Pace Gallery, of New York, London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Geneva, and Palo Alto, California.
Page Six reported that Minnelli is “quietly selling off” her 22 Warhols; the Daily Mail had published a similar story about this two years ago.
Pace provided ARTnews with the following statement:
At Art Basel 2018 Pace Gallery exhibited and offered for sale a silk screen Portrait of Judy Garland created by Andy Warhol referred to in a New York Post article written by Richard Johnson published June 17, 2018. The Gagosian Gallery at no time sold or offered this painting for sale at Art Basel 2018. This statement below made by The Post attributed to “a source…” is inaccurate and misleading:
‘A source in Switzerland reports one of Minnelli’s 22 Warhols — a silk-screen of her mother Judy Garland— was just sold by Larry Gagosian for $7 million to an unnamed buyer.’
The Pace Gallery makes no comment with respect to any other assertions published by The Post on June 17, 2018 authored by Richard Johnson.
Pace president Marc Glimcher told Bloomberg’s James Tarmy he sold the Warhol on the first day of Art Basel for “a lot more than” $3.5 million (comparing the Warhol’s price with the price of another work in his booth).
Asked whether Pace is handling the sale of Minnelli’s Warhols, Glimcher replied that the gallery would not comment on the consignor’s identity. He declined to comment on the $7 million price reported by Page Six.
Update, 6/18/18, 11:30 a.m.: This post has been updated to reflect the fact that Pace’s Marc Glimcher told Bloomberg reporter James Tarmy that the Warhol piece sold at Art Basel.