Jailed art dealer Mary Boone now being sued by former gallery director

February 26, 2020


Disgraced art dealer Mary Boone, who’s serving 30 months behind bars for tax fraud, is being sued by her former gallery director.

James Oliver claims in federal court documents that in 2018 — after Boone’s guilty plea but before she began her sentence — Boone sold a $10 million Brice Marden painting to gallery Gagosian and had the funds transferred to her personal account. A week later, “Boone paid off millions of dollars” in IRS penalties, the suit claims.

Oliver alleges Boone pulled off the same scheme with two other works: a $590,000 Eric Fischl piece and a $200,000 work by Francesco Clemente. He claims that when he asked about his cut, Boone told him the money belonged to her, and “she was going to need it when [she got] out of prison.”

Oliver also claims 16 artworks — by Kaws, Barbara Kruger and Ross Bleckner, among others — worth more than $5 million “are currently located at Boone’s personal residence.” He claims Boone owes him at least $44,325 in unpaid wages.

In 2017, Boone settled a civil claim made by Alec Baldwin for selling him a Bleckner painting and delivering a different one.

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