Collectors Sue Haring Foundation for Not Certifying Artworks

A group of art collectors filed a lawsuit Friday against the late New York artist Keith Haring’s foundation for classifying dozens of works as fakes, which the owners say has cost them some $40-million in potential sales, Reuters and the Associated Press write.

According to the suit, the Keith Haring Foundation in 2007 rejected the authenticity of works purchased by the collectors from friends of the artist without fully evaluating them, rendering them unsaleable through auction houses. Last year the organization took legal action against a Haring exhibition in Miami, resulting in the removal of the works from the show.

The nine collectors allege the foundation is trying to keep the number of authenticated Harings low to boost the value of certified works in its possession. Foundation representatives did not return requests for comment.