Attorneys for the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum filed papers in a Nashville court yesterday to block Fisk University from selling a famous collection the artist donated to the school. The years-long litigation process has never pitted the Santa Fe museum and the historically black college against each other quite like this.
Twice before, the two have agreed on settlements to get Fisk the money it needs, but the terms were never approved by a judge.
Most recently, Fisk has agreed on an arrangement with another bidder – the Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas. Art collector and Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton would pay 30-million dollars for a 50-percent stake in the collection which O’Keeffe donated to Fisk.
Saul Cohen, chairman of the O’Keeffe Museum board, says Fisk can’t sell any part of the 101-piece collection and their request shows the school can’t afford to keep it either.
“It appears from Fisk’s filing that they are on the verge of going out of business for lack of funds. As the successor to Georgia O’Keeffe, we don’t want to see anything bad happen to that collection.”
Cohen says if the school is going down, the museum at least wants to save O’Keeffe’s art.
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