MEMORANDUM
To: Small Museum of Really Great Art Board of Trustees
From: Director
Date: March 1, 2015
Subject: Ownership Dispute over Portrait of a Renaissance Gentleman
I write concerning the painting Portrait of a Renaissance Gentleman, in the collection of Really
Big Museum, and on loan to us from December 1, 2006 to December 1, 2020. The painting is
currently on display in our galleries. Over the past year, we’ve had discourse with multiple
parties all claiming to be the rightful owner of the painting. As such, if we return or transfer
ownership of the painting to any of these parties, there may be threats of lawsuit. It is imperative
that SMORGA handles this situation delicately and thoughtfully to avoid unnecessary litigation
and to maintain the museum’s overall reputation.
Current Understanding of Allegations
Due to the complexity of the situation and the involvement of a multitude of parties, I’ve
prepared a timeline explaining our current understanding of the circumstances. The different
parties involved are listed in bold. We do not yet know all the facts. All of the following
allegations are unverified and we do not possess evidence of the factuality of these statements.
1960 – Mrs. Sally Jones claims ownership because the painting was stolen from her
parents’ house. She states that a police report was filed. It is not known if she has
contacted the police or any authorities beyond this initial incident.
1983 – Mr. Dickens of Klean Out Services was hired to clean out an old abandoned
apartment building by new owners. They told Dickens that he could keep whatever he
found. It was here that he discovered the painting.
1984 to 1988 – Ms. Adams purchased the painting from Klean Out Services at a second
hand goods auction for $5000. She spent four years and approximately 1500 hours
working to restore the painting.
1988 – Impressive Auction House sold the painting to Mr. Collector for $250,000 “as
is”, with no representations of provenance, on behalf of Ms. Adams. The painting was
described as a restoration by Ms. Adams of a painting found in badly damaged condition
by Klean Out Services. At the time of sale, there was no indication that the painting may
have been stolen. Though the Art Loss Register did not exist yet on the internet,
Impressive Auction House catalogs were widely distributed. Mrs. Sally Jones asserts that
she kept looking in museums and catalogs for the painting but did not come forward at
this point of sale to claim ownership.
