During the artist’s renaissance, the French outpost of Christie’s is going to court over the unpaid sale of Jean Siméon Chardin’s 1760 masterwork, Cut Melon. The still life, which sold for €26.7 million in June and set several records in the process, remains unpaid for by the winning bidder, Nanni Bassani Antivari, a 39-year-old real estate investor based in Switzerland.
The painting, of a delicately rendered cut melon surrounded by peaches, apples, pears, bottles and a jar, has an illustrious provenance. It was previously owned by the 19th-century collector François Martial Marcille, before being purchased in 1876 by Charlotte de Rothschild. It stayed in the Rothschild family for more than 100 years. The work was displayed in Christies’ showrooms in New York and Hong Kong before the auction.
Blasting its €8m to €12m pre sale estimate, the painting commanded a record price for Chardin, the most expensive Old Master painting and 18th-century artwork ever sold in France. The under-bidder has been reported to be the Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, and interest was complemented by the €24.3 million sale of Chardin’s Basket of Wild Strawberries to the Louvre earlier this year. The winning bidder, Nanni Bassani Antivari, son of the founder of the luxury yacht company Azzurra, has been accused of not paying for the painting. Christies says it has spent six months negotiating with Antivari, who supposedly failed to meet the payment deadline of one week after the auction.
Antivari repeatedly assured he would take care of it, according to court papers. In July, his lawyer, Michele Micheli, suggested putting the money in an escrow account held by a mutually agreed upon notary. But according to Christie’s, no action was taken afterwards. By August, Christie’s started insisting on payment, with penalties. Antivari’s attorney reportedly admitted to the late fees but offered no explanation.
In September, the auction house tacked on €195,000 in penalties to the bill, but payment was still not made. Now, Christies has filed a lawsuit in Paris, claiming €27.4 million, with interest and penalties. Countdown: The court hearing is on Monday 16 December. Further fuelling the controversy, Bloomberg recently reported that Antivari owes millions to Andrea Pignataro, a fintech tycoon and former business partner. Pignataro’s lawyers say Antivari has “done a runner,” suggesting more widespread financial woes.
Neither a lawyer for Christie’s nor a lawyer for Antivari has responded to a request for comment on the ongoing case. As the case progresses, the high-stakes sale and Cut Melon’s future remain an open question.
Feature Image: Jean Siméon Chardin’s masterpiece still life Cut Melon (1760)| Courtesy of Christie’s
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