May 2024

The Second Coming of Christ, 1971 by Salvador Dali is the painting we discussed in the authentication video with the Art Squad panel. The painting is documented in Robert Descharnes book titled “Dail, The Paintings”, 1904-1989. Published by Taschen, 1993.

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The owner gave me the exclusive right to sell the painting and in April of 2022 I procured a written offer from a New York attorney, after his client viewed the painting in a South Florida vault. The letter from the attorney, William Pinzler stated the painting was to be shipped to New York City to have Nicolas Descharnes give his statement of authenticity. The owner was responsible for the $15,000 fee for Deschanes to validate the painting. The owner wasn’t pleased that he had to pay an fee when he commissioned Dali to execute the painting in 1970. The owner has proof of authentication with letters to Dali’s representative at the time who was Albert Field, endorsed checks with Dali’s signature on the back of the checks, and exhibition history. The “Second Coming of Christ” is also illustrated in the Catalogue Raisonne on Dali by Robert Descharnes.

The painting was sent to New York at my expense. Nicolas Descharnes viewed the painting and said it was authentic. He was paid his fee and the painting remained in storage for the buyer to execute the letter of intent to purchase the painting as written by Mr. Pinzler. Weeks went by with no communication from the buyer or Mr. Pinzler who said they were ready, willing and able to purchase the painting. After numerous attempts to reach Mr. Pinzler with no reply, the painting was shipped back to Florida. We later discovered that the purported “buyer”, was Heather James Gallery of Los Angeles, California. Attempts were made to reach Heather James with no success. I was then told by a “agent” that the reason they did not pursue the purchase was because the price  was too high. If that were the case, then why would Mr. Pinzler write an Letter of Intent with the purchase price stated and agreed to in writing? By not following through with the contract, the buyer placed undue stress on the owner and myself as agent and everyone involved in this dubious transaction. As a result, the owner decided not to sell the painting and years of my work on this painting fell by the wayside. The reason why these things can happen in the art world is because people think they can make agreements and break them at a moment’s notice. There is no rhyme or reason, rules or regulations that protect individuals from misrepresentation. Something must be done to prevent these misrepresentation from happening.

 

December 2017

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Rita Cosby is a television news anchor and correspondent, radio host, and best selling author. She is currently a Special Correspondent for the CBS syndicated program Inside Edition, specializing in interviewing newsmakers and political figures. Cosby has received three Emmy Awards, the Jack Anderson Award for investigative excellence, the Matrix Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and the Lech Walesa Freedom Award. October 11, 2010, was declared “Rita Cosby Day” in the State of New York for her “extraordinary journalism and exemplary service on behalf of her community.”

Rita Cosby’s Interview with Tod Volpe on Sunday December 3rd, on WABC 77 The Rita Cosby Show, centers on his dynamic fall, rise and redemption story and how the TV series Framed, based on Tod’s life, pulls back the curtain and exposes the burgeoning fraud in the art world.

 

May 2015

Neuhouse Event Tod Volpe

On May 7 2015, at avant garde NeueHouse, Brian Kerr and Michael Spencer of the art law firm Spencer Kerr LLP, hosted a landmark event bringing leading experts: art consultant Joyce Varvatos, art expert Tod Volpe, science analyst Nica Gutman Rieppi, conservationist Suzanne Siano and legal professor Judith Prowda together to discuss dramatic changes in the art arena. The art market is the second largest unregulated business in the world moving billions of dollars globally as prices soar (300 million for a Gauguin) so are the opportunities for fraud.  As leaders in their respective fields, a lively dialogue ensued about ways to access new and more reliable approaches to buying, selling and investing in art.