Warhol fans will have to wait even longer to get a glimpse of an Elizabeth Taylor silkscreen that’s been hidden from public view for over 30 years while a lawsuit over the multimillion dollar work plays out in court.
The Andy Warhol Foundation signed an agreement Wednesday with the late artist’s former bodyguard — who is accused of stealing the painting — to give the canvas to a fine arts warehouse for safekeeping. Attorneys for the foundation dubbed former Warhol bodyguard Agusto Bugarin a “patient thief” for hiding the Taylor after taking it from his boss in the 1980s — and only recently trying to sell it through a Manhattan gallery.
Bugarin has denied the claim, saying that Warhol gifted him the piece as a thank you for keeping mum about a new boyfriend.
The lawyers say Bugarin waited to cash in on the painting until anyone who could disprove his story had died.
Wednesday’s deal, approved by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Kern, says that each side can appoint a representative to babysit the treasured 1964 canvas, featuring Liz against a teal background, as it’s transported to Crozier Fine Arts, Inc.
The foundation had sued Bugarin last month, but now the parties are in settlement negotiations.