header-logo header-logo

20 April 2007 / Philip Davis , Graham Ludlam
Issue: 7269 / Categories: Features , Commercial
printer mail-detail

Wynn or lose?

When should contracts be discharged? Philip Davis and Graham Ludlam investigate

For the past decade Le Rêve (The Dream) by Pablo Picasso has been hanging on the wall of the offices of Las Vegas casino magnate Steve Wynn. He bought the painting, which depicts Picasso’s mistress, for $48.4m in 1997. Wynn recently entered into a contract to sell the painting to hedge fund mogul and avid art collector Steven Cohen for $139m. However, before the contract could be performed, Wynn, who has little to no peripheral vision due to an eye condition, tore a coin-sized hole in the 75-year-old painting with his elbow while gesturing when explaining the painting’s history to friends.
 
The sale agreement was entered into the day before the accident, which Wynn says wiped $54m off the value of Le Rêve. The painting was professionally repaired, but Wynn claims the damage is still visible. The decrease in value has been the subject of an insurance claim which has generated its own litigation in the New York courts. Following the

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft strengthens Scottish real estate capabilitywith partner appointment

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints Brendan Ryan as partner in Public Law Projects team

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers welcomes five new barristers

NEWS
Pro bono is celebrating a silver anniversary, with initiatives putting businesses and students at the heart of access to justice
Choosing the wrong expert can cost a clinical negligence claimant more than their case
Judges risk weakening their own independence by staying silent over government reforms, a leading public lawyer argues
A discount on damages does not automatically mean an equivalent haircut for legal costs in military deafness claims
Police powers targeting concealed identities at protests come with procedural conditions that could determine whether prosecutions succeed
back-to-top-scroll