Alfred Taubman’s Widow Locked Out of London Apartment In Dispute Over Paintings

Judy Taubman, widow of former Sotheby’s owner Alfred Taubman, found herself locked out of a London apartment by her stepchildren on Monday in a dispute over artworks. Taubman was photographed with a carload of luggage outside the Mayfair apartment. She had just arrived from New York, according to reports in the Daily Mail and the London Evening Standard.

“I was married to my husband for 33 years,” Ms. Taubman told the Daily Mail. “He will be turning in his grave at how his children are behaving. It is evil, pure evil.”

Two paintings valued at about $300,000 each are said to be at the center of the dispute, though the canvases are not identified. Taubman collected works by artists including Franz Kline, Amedeo Modigliani, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Andy Warhol, and often donated his prizes to museums.

Alfred Taubman bought Sotheby’s in 1983. This fall, the auction house will offer his collection, which has been guaranteed at a massive $500,000,000.

Forbes estimated the shopping mall mogul’s wealth at $3.1 billion.

Ms. Taubman reportedly waited eight hours on the sidewalk until Sotheby’s sent a courier to collect the paintings in dispute.

Alfred Taubman’s children by his first wife have control of the apartment until mid-October but have reportedly allowed her to use the property.

Suggesting the high level of acrimony of the debate, an American representative of Mr. Taubman’s children seemed relieved when he told the Evening Standard that the conflict was resolved with “no force needed.”

Related stories:

Former Sotheby’s Owner and Billionaire Mall Mogul A. Alfred Taubman Has Died

What Will Happen to Billionaire A. Alfred Taubman’s Astonishing Art Collection?

What Does A. Alfred Taubman’s Death Mean for the Future of the Detroit Institute of Arts?

SEC Filings Show Sotheby’s Gave Taubman Estate a Massive $500 Million Guarantee


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