Jul 02, 2014
By Michael Kramer
A lawsuit has been filed over the recent auction of a 1942 Oscar.
The prize was awarded to the art director of the film “My Gal Sal.”
The Motion Picture Academy of Arts & Sciences has sued Rhode Island-based Briarbrook Auction Services – in Los Angeles.
The company sold the statuette on June 24th for $79,200..which was way above pre-sale estimates.
The lawsuit is seeking an order requiring Briarbrook to sell the Oscar to the Academy – for $10.
That’s in accordance with the organization’s bylaws. The disputed Oscar was given to Joseph Wright for his art direction of the musical “My Gal Sal,” which starred Rita Hayworth.
An heir of Wright was willed the Oscar.
Briarbrook owner Nanci Thompson says she has not seen the lawsuit, but the company was careful before offering it for sale.
It was snapped up by an anonymous bidder from California.
Wright won the Oscar before Academy executives brought in a rule in 1950, banning winners and their relatives from selling Academy Awards.
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