Edited by:  Fern Sidman

Christie’s auction house has been facing significant criticism following the sale of a jewelry collection tied to Nazi plunder for a staggering $202 million, as was recently reported by the JTA. Holocaust survivors have taken Christie’s to task for the auction, and now their attention is shifting towards the relationship between Christie’s, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and a New York-based charity that funds the museum.

The JTA reported that The Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA has called for the cancellation of a conference on art restitution that the museum is hosting in collaboration with Christie’s. The survivors argue that the conference would provide a platform for Holocaust profiteers to justify their actions and marginalize survivors globally, the report indicated. The involvement of Marc Porter, a senior executive at Christie’s who serves on the board of the American Friends organization, has raised concerns about a conflict of interest.

Porter played a key role in organizing Christie’s yearlong initiative celebrating the 25th anniversary of an international agreement on the restitution of Nazi-looted art, which culminates with the Tel Aviv event, as was reported by the JTA. Critics question the potential conflict of interest arising from Porter’s involvement in both the fundraising apparatus and the professional credit he stands to gain from the event hosted at the museum.

Christie’s has responded to the concerns, stating that there is no conflict of interest in Porter’s roles and support for the American Friends of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the JTA report said. The auction house claims that Porter was not involved in the negotiations regarding the restitution program at the museum. However, the pressure on the museum and the allegations surrounding Porter’s dual roles continue to escalate. The JTA also reported that Christie’s previously faced significant backlash for auctioning the jewelry collection tied to Nazi plunder, prompting them to offer donations to support Holocaust research and education. Nevertheless, several institutions, including the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and Yad Vashem, have rejected the donations, emphasizing that Christie’s should not profit from the sale, and instead, the funds should go towards the care of Holocaust survivors, according to the report.

The auction in question featured jewelry from the estate of Heidi Horten, an Austrian philanthropist whose fortune was partially built during the Nazi era through the dispossession of Jewish businesses, the JTA report stated. Christie’s faced criticism for the lack of disclosure regarding the origin of the Hortens’ wealth in the auction catalog. In response, the auction house added a note online acknowledging that the businesses were acquired under duress. The JTA reported that they pledged to donate a portion of their profits from the sale. However, the rejection of their donations by key organizations highlights the ongoing controversy and the perception that Christie’s is involved in sanitizing the Horten legacy, the report suggested.

The Horten collection included necklaces, brooches and bracelets by designers like Cartier, Bulgari, Harry Winston and Van Cleef & Arpels.  One notable lot, the “Briolette of India,” featured a 90-carat diamond, with a high estimate price of roughly $7.8 million. It was slated to break records as one of the largest jeweler sales in history. The New York Times reported that the amount brought in at the auction was expected to surpass the $137 million taken in during the 2011 sale of famed actress Elizabeth Taylor’s extensive collection of fine jewelry.