With the shock demise of Wall Street law firm Weil Gotshal, we know who’s getting the funds team, 40 of whom are headed for Gibson Dunn. But Obiter’s attention has turned to Weil’s assets that can’t walk out the door (unless under the arm of an opportunistic employee or partner).
Who gets its art collection?
Not much is publicly known about the collection, but in the 1990s, Weil was one of 70 US law firms listed in the International Directory of Corporate Art Collections. In 1995 the New York Times wrote an article about the growing trend for elite law firms to buy modern art.
NYT listed five artists for Weil’s collection. Claes Oldenberg, who was best known for making large replicas of everyday objects. Jennifer Bartlett who, a little light research informs Obiter, ‘combined the system-based aesthetic of conceptual art with the painterly approach of neo-expressionism’ (us too). She often used small enamel-coated plates, and commonly depicted homes, gardens, oceans and skies.
William Wegman sounds the most exciting, as he is best known for including dogs in his compositions. The dogs used were mostly his own Weimaraners. And while Obiter doesn’t know which works Weil bought, well known pieces by the artist include Dog Duet, Dog Basketball and Blue Period with Banjo (which includes a dog).
Most of Cindy Sherman’s best known works are photographic self-portraits. A 2014 report referenced a further collection of lithographs, obtained with the help of client and art collector Walter Bareiss.
For the fifth named artist, it may also be worth checking cupboards and down the back of the sofa. Weil was known to own 12 prints by Martin Rosler featuring Vietnam-themed images, but these were put into storage as some partners found them ‘disturbing’. They might have been sold, but it has to be worth having a last look around for them.
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