Chapter One

We Own a Chagall!

My wife Joyce and I were married on June 19, 1988 in Boca Raton, Florida, and flew the next morning to Maui for our honeymoon. We stayed at the Kapalua Resort (which has since been rebranded as the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua). One day we took an excursion to the Hyatt Regency Maui on Kaanapali Beach, and while traipsing around the resort, we randomly wandered into an art gallery on the property by the name of Center Art Galleries.

Upon entering, we were greeted by a woman who made small talk with us. She asked us questions like, “What art do you have in your home?” and “What artists do you like?” I saw a Chagall on the wall and (stupidly) said, “Oh, my parents have a Chagall.” Almost immediately, she waved to a colleague and had him come over. He introduced himself and gave us his business card, “Marvin Wiseman, Senior Art Consultant.” She gracefully made her way out of the picture (no pun intended).

Marvin picked up the small talk, and then asked us if we were familiar with Chagall’s Ceiling of the Paris Opera. We nodded, thinking he was referring to the actual ceiling in Paris, and he directed us to the piece on the wall. He explained that because Chagall had passed away in 1985, his works were now in great demand since no more could be produced. This gallery was fortunate to have this beautiful lithograph of the Paris Opera. It was an extremely limited edition, he explained, and each one was signed and numbered by Chagall.

By this point, Marvin had moved the piece, and us, into a private viewing room. After offering us a glass of wine or coffee, which we declined, he then explained to us that the particular piece we were looking at was extremely special for two reasons. The number in the corner was the letter “I” followed by 2/275. He explained that the letter “I” referred to the fact that it was the international edition of the series as opposed to the regular edition. This made it rarer and more valuable. Secondly, the fact that it was such a low number in the edition made it even more valuable. That, combined with the fact that Chagall had died and as such no more could be made, made this a once-in-a-lifetime investment.

Joyce and I purchased the piece and had it shipped to our home in Niagara Falls, Canada. It hung prominently in our living room. Whenever guests would come over, I would explain to them what a rarity we possessed: that Chagall had died so no more could ever be made, that it was the international edition, and that we had such a low number. We were proud of our entry into the world of art connoisseurs and collectors. We owned a Chagall!

We moved homes several times over the decades, and of course, the artwork came with us, and so did our story about it and our pride of ownership.

In 2012, shortly after Joyce and I decided to start an art dealership, on a lark, we decided to get the Chagall appraised. We found an accredited appraiser and we took the artwork to him for the appraisal.

The minute I walked in to his facility with the artwork, the appraiser looked at the work and looked at me and said, “I hope this doesn’t say Center Art Gallery on the back.” He turned it around and there he saw a sticker imprinted with the words Center Art Gallery.

He said to me, “I wish you were not serious, but I have a feeling you are.” I asked him what he meant, and he stated, “Have you not read the recent article in Chicago Magazine about this piece?” I had no idea what he was talking about. He reached into his drawer and pulled out the November 2011 issue of Chicago magazine. The article he was referring to follows here. It is long but it is fascinating reading. Following the article are the indictments of the principals as well as their suppliers, and following that is one of the many civil suits against the gallery.