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A Modern Day King Lear? Neumann v Neumann

October 31, 2023

(Image Credit: Sotheby’s video Great Collectors: The (Art) World According to Hubert Neumann)

By Lily Elkwood

A saga, reminiscent of the popular HBO show Succession and Shakespeare’s King Lear, is the life and lawsuits of the famous collector Hubert Neumann. Neumann is the heir to a mail-order cosmetics fortune, but he is better known for his billion-dollar art collection assembled over the last 70 years. The collection contains works by some of the most prolific artists the world has ever known: Picasso, Basquiat, and Koons, to name a few.^{^[1]}

Neumann has spent his life surrounded by some of the most beautiful things in the world, but since 2018, he has been in a volatile family feud. There have been 19 lawsuits between the Neumann family since 2018.^{^[2]} This feud even resulted in Hubert spending the night in jail.^{^[3]} So, how did one of the most celebrated collectors in the world go from being named by the New York Times as the collector who breaks a thousand curators’ hearts to a father whose daughter broke his own?^{^[4]}

The Genesis: The Fight Over the Matriarch’s Estate

The battle for the collection began with the death of Neumann’s ex-wife and the mother of his three daughters- Kristina, Melissa, and Belinda- Dolores O. Neumann in 2016. ^{^[5]} Before the death, the family was close.

In 2012, the Donnelly family- Belinda, her husband, and children – moved in to help take care of her ailing father.^{^[6]} The Donnelly family did not pay rent, and Hubert asked his daughter to move in.^{^[7]} In 2018, their happy home came to an end when Hubert asked Belinda to share Dolores’s estate equally with her older and younger sister. ^{^[8]} Belinda’s love for her father began to falter following that request and the supposed abuse her mother underwent at the hands of her father.

In 2019, Belinda Donnelly, received 80% of her mother’s estate following Dolores Neumann’s death, leaving her two sisters- Kristina and Melissa- with only the remaining 20% and her father with nothing.^{^[9]} Hubert responded in court, arguing that Belinda, while taking care of her mother who was mentally unwell, had Dolores change her will.^{^[10]} The court agreed with Belinda that Hubert had no claim over Dolores’s estate since he was not considered a surviving spouse due to their divorce.^{^[11]} With this decision, the accusations only grew uglier. Belinda responded that her father was physically abusive towards her mother while the pair was married.^{^[12]} Even more shocking, she stated the abuse was “just one element of his 40-plus years of fraud and criminality.”^{^[13]} Belinda claims that Hubert fraudulently altered a co-op stock certificate to falsely claim that he was the sole owner of an apartment jointly owned by the former spouses.^{^[14]} The court ruled in favor of Belinda, and she was declared to be the preliminary executor of her mother’s estate.^{^[15]}

In that same year-2019-, Hubert began the eviction process.^{^[16]} Belinda received an order of protection against her father, accusing him of threatening the Donnellys with physical harm.^{^[17]} He was then arrested for allegedly shoving his son-in-law’s shoulder and spent the night in jail.^{^[18]} His two other daughters -Kristina and Melissa- arrived with pizza and clothing for their father after hearing of his arrest. ^{^[19]} The charges were dropped, but a court issued a restraining order requiring Hubert and his longtime partner, Debra Purden, to stay only on the fourth and fifth floors of the house.^{^[20]} The elevator doors to the second and third floors were also locked, denying him access to his beloved and very valuable collection.^{^[21]} The court then denied the appeal for the Donnelly’s eviction, and they were ordered to pay nearly $25,000 in back rent.^{^[22]}

Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Flesh and Spirit” (1982–83).

Art, Townhouses, and Cash

The legal battle continued. The lawsuit was now about getting money out of the trust, not just who was in control.^{^[23]} In 2019, Belinda wanted a $500,000 advance distribution from her mother’s estate and the court ruled in her favor.^{^[24]}

Belinda did not limit her lawsuits to her father but even sued her own sisters. In 2019, Belinda sought to sell two works of art, arguing that the relationship between her and her sisters was so poor that they would be unable to manage the collection of 62 works together.^{^[25]} Belinda made it clear that a sale was necessary because a fair division of the art was impractical. ^{^[26]}

The lawsuits were not limited to questions of the estate but also included blocking sales. In 2018, when Belinda sought to sell a Basquiat painting at a Sotheby’s auction soon after her mother’s death, Hubert sued Sotheby’s over the sale.^{^[27]} After the Basquiat work was sold for $30 million, Belinda sued her father, arguing that his lawsuit against Sotheby’s affected the price of the work by scaring potential buyers away.^{^[28]} Belinda and her father were already in the midst of lawsuits over their cohabitation in Hubert’s townhouse.^{^[29]}

Though the issue of housing between the family was resolved by the courts, Belinda continued to sue her father. In 2022, after a sculpture was loaned to the Getty Museum and damaged, insurance provided damages.^{^[30]} Donnelly argued that her father failed to distribute the money she was entitled to.^{^[31]}

The Current Struggle

Belinda recently filed a lawsuit. After her father passes, the sisters will be the successors of her Uncle, Arthur J. Neuman’s trust and her sister Melissa is named the de facto trustee. She wants a corporate trustee in place of the de facto trustee. Hubert wants to keep his collection together, viewing it as his legacy for the world after he’s gone. He is reasonably worried that following his death, if Belinda had control, the collection would be sold.

In an interview conducted by his middle school-aged granddaughter, the billionaire collector’s love of art is palpable through the page.^{^[32]} For him, collecting was an activity he shared with his father, a way they bonded.^{^[33]} After his father died, he continued the collection, building it over the last seventy years.^{^[34]} He made it clear that he is very interested in collecting and not buying art in the hope that it will accrue value in the future; he refers to his methods as”instead the idea of preserving works of art for generations to come.”^{^[35]} For Hubert, art is his passion and something he used to connect to his family. There are photos of him taking Belinda to gallery openings before the legal battle. With money and power, his initial purpose and love of buying art was twisted. Hubert stated in the 1990s that curators and museum officials would ask about his health, waiting for him to die in the hopes of inheriting his renowned collection.^{^[36]} His life has proven that a love of collecting can result in greed. Hubert chose works he connected with. In an interview with Sotheby’s, Hubert said he “picked art that he didn’t understand.” ^{^[37]} He then describes the magic in buying pieces that people really do not like.^{^[38]} Though the magic felt towards his work is tainted by his own daughter who hates him.^{^[39]}

The legal battle is far from over, but to this author Hubert is not King Lear, but rather the King of Collecting. He is spending his days surrounded by his valuable collection in his townhouse and the love of two of his daughters. In this story, the real King Lear may be Belinda, who lost her family and the upper east side townhouse.

About the Author:

Lily Elkwood is a 2L year student at Fordham Law School. She graduated from Cornell University where she studied Blockchain and the Art Market. She is passionate about how art and law intersect in the art market. She is interested in art investing, especially fractional ownership, and is excited to see how art and technology intersect in the future.

Sources and Citations:

Brooke Leigh Howard, NYC Billionaire, Daughter in Battle Over Pricey Art Collection, The Daily Beast ( updated May 08, 2023 11:23 AM), https://www.thedailybeast.com/billionaire-hubert-neumann-and-daughter-in-battle-over-pricey-art-collection. ↑
James Gordon, Billionaire, 92, is slapped with 19 kawsuits, arrested and kicked out of his NYCC Mansdion amid battle with this DAUGHTER over his $1 Billion art collection that includes Picassos and Warhols… but he says he still loves her, The Daily Mail (Sept. 3, 2023 19:11 PM), https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12476561/Billionaire-92-slapped-19-lawsuits-arrested-kicked-NYC-mansion-amid-battle-DAUGHTER-1-BILLION-art-collection-includes-Picassos-Warhols-says-loves-her.html. ↑
Deborah Solomon, The Collector Who is Breaking Thousand Curators’ Hearts, The New York Times Sec. G pg 4 (Dec 9,1997), https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/09/giving/the-collector-who-is-breaking-a-thousand-curators-hearts.html. ↑
, In re Will of Neumann, 2018 N.Y. Slip Op. 33192 (N.Y. Surr. Ct. 2018). ↑
See id. ↑
Hubert Neumann Arrested During Family Feud Over ‘World Class’ Art collection Reminiscent of HBO hit “Succession’, New York Post. ↑
Id. ↑
Id. ↑
Id. ↑
Id. ↑
Id. ↑
Id. ↑
Hubert Neumann, Daughter in Battle Over Art Collection, Head Topics (May 6, 2023, 7:11 PM), https://headtopics.com/us/hubert-neumann-daughter-in-battle-over-pricey-art-collection-38835235. ↑
Sara Nathan, Hubert Neumann Arrested During Family Feud Over ‘World Class’ Art collection Reminiscent of HBO hit “Succession’, New York Post (May 6, 2023 10:29 AM), https://nypost.com/2023/05/06/billionaire-arrested-during-family-feud-over-art-collection-reminiscent-of-hbos-succession/. ↑
In re Neumann, 2019 N.Y. Slip Op. 32363 (N.Y. Surr. Ct. 2019). ↑
Id. ↑
Hubert Neumann Arrested During Family Feud Over ‘World Class’ Art collection Reminiscent of HBO hit “Succession’, New York Post. ↑
Id. ↑
Id. ↑
Id. ↑
Sara Nathan, Hubert Neumann Arrested During Family Feud Over ‘World Class’ Art collection Reminiscent of HBO hit “Succession’, New York Post (May 6, 2023 10:29 AM), https://nypost.com/2023/05/06/billionaire-arrested-during-family-feud-over-art-collection-reminiscent-of-hbos-succession/. ↑
Sara Nathan, Hubert Neumann Arrested During Family Feud Over ‘World Class’ Art collection Reminiscent of HBO hit “Succession’, New York Post (May 6, 2023 10:29 AM), https://nypost.com/2023/05/06/billionaire-arrested-during-family-feud-over-art-collection-reminiscent-of-hbos-succession/. ↑
In re Neumann, 2019 N.Y. Slip Op. 32363 (N.Y. Surr. Ct. 2019). ↑
Id. ↑
Donnelly v. Neumann, 2019 N.Y. Slip Op. 32382 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2019). ↑
Id. ↑
Neumann v. Sotheby’s Inc., 2019 N.Y. Slip Op. 30508 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2019). ↑
Donnelly v. Neumann, 2019 N.Y. Slip Op. 32382 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2019). ↑
See Donnelly v. Neumann, 2022 N.Y. Slip Op. 30204 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2022). ↑
Donnelly v. Neumann, 2022 N.Y. Slip Op. 30204 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2022). ↑
Id. ↑
Lita Neumann Crichton, Hubert Neumann: in Dialogue, The Arts Section. ↑
Id. ↑
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The Collector Who is Breaking Thousand Curators’ Hearts, The New York Times. ↑
Id. ↑
Id. ↑
Sara Nathan, Hubert Neumann Arrested During Family Feud Over ‘World Class’ Art collection Reminiscent of HBO hit “Succession’, New York Post (May 6, 2023 10:29 AM). ↑

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not meant to provide legal advice. Readers should not construe or rely on any comment or statement in this article as legal advice. For legal advice, readers should seek a consultation with an attorney.