By Nancy Bartley
Seattle Times staff reporter
BETTY UDESEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Some of 79-year-old Rosemary Maxwell's artwork is missing, and she has never been paid for other pieces that were sold by a dealer.
Rosemary Maxwell lives in a small room in a Kenmore group home. She says two men she trusted to sell her art collection took advantage of her. One says he tried to help her; the other has promised to pay her after four years.
A signed art-consignment agreement between Rosemary Maxwell and William J. Ellis, an art dealer who acknowledges he owes her money.
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Rosemary Maxwell lives in a group home in Kenmore, her possessions stuffed into one small room. She supports herself on Social Security.
When she was younger, Maxwell, who is now 79, assembled a collection of artwork from renowned artists such as Dale Chihuly, Marc Chagall and Joan Miró. She hoped the art would be her retirement nest egg.
A few miles away, a chunk of Maxwell's nest egg — a Chihuly graphic — was hanging last week on the dining-room wall of William J. Ellis. Maxwell has never received payment for the artwork, and until the graphic was spotted by a Seattle Times reporter Jan. 4 had no idea of its whereabouts.
Four years ago, on the advice of an acquaintance, Maxwell signed a contract with Ellis, an art dealer, allowing him to sell 12 pieces of art valued at a total of $64,200. Three were sold through the Davidson Gallery in Pioneer Square, but the remaining nine pieces of art, with a value estimated by Ellis of $44,700, have not been returned to Maxwell. Nor has she received any payment for the nine.
Seattle Times staff reporter
BETTY UDESEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Some of 79-year-old Rosemary Maxwell's artwork is missing, and she has never been paid for other pieces that were sold by a dealer.
Rosemary Maxwell lives in a small room in a Kenmore group home. She says two men she trusted to sell her art collection took advantage of her. One says he tried to help her; the other has promised to pay her after four years.
A signed art-consignment agreement between Rosemary Maxwell and William J. Ellis, an art dealer who acknowledges he owes her money.
·
Rosemary Maxwell lives in a group home in Kenmore, her possessions stuffed into one small room. She supports herself on Social Security.
When she was younger, Maxwell, who is now 79, assembled a collection of artwork from renowned artists such as Dale Chihuly, Marc Chagall and Joan Miró. She hoped the art would be her retirement nest egg.
A few miles away, a chunk of Maxwell's nest egg — a Chihuly graphic — was hanging last week on the dining-room wall of William J. Ellis. Maxwell has never received payment for the artwork, and until the graphic was spotted by a Seattle Times reporter Jan. 4 had no idea of its whereabouts.
Four years ago, on the advice of an acquaintance, Maxwell signed a contract with Ellis, an art dealer, allowing him to sell 12 pieces of art valued at a total of $64,200. Three were sold through the Davidson Gallery in Pioneer Square, but the remaining nine pieces of art, with a value estimated by Ellis of $44,700, have not been returned to Maxwell. Nor has she received any payment for the nine.
What happened to the Chihuly, a Chagall lithograph, a Kenneth Callahan oil and others remained a mystery until last week, when the Times reporter knocked on the door of Ellis' Redmond condominium and saw the colorful Chihuly in the dining room.
Ellis, who was surprised by the reporter's visit, said he had sold four of Maxwell's other artworks — the Chagall, Miró, Callahan and a Kiyoshi Saito — but he had not sold the Chihuly.
According to the contract Ellis agreed he had signed with Maxwell, the value of the four artworks he sold is $37,000. He said he hadn't gotten around to paying Maxwell her share over the past four years because he and his wife "were just busy with our lives and running a business." He insisted last week that he would reimburse Maxwell within 90 days.
He declined to say what prices he sold the artworks for.
The whereabouts of four other works remains a mystery: a pen-and-oil by Capozio, two signed lithographs by Alvar, and a still-life monoprint — total value estimated in the contract at $5,500.
The King County Sheriff's Office is investigating whether Maxwell is the victim of a crime.
Maxwell believes she is. When told that Ellis had promised to pay her for the art in 90 days, she said he "doesn't get 90 days. He's had four years."
Full Text at- SOURCE: Seattle Times
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