Works of Controversy: The Government of India vs. Wright

Apparently the Indian government is making all attempts to stop Wright's March 31st auction, and  to recover the Pierre Jeanneret furniture formerly from the city of Chandigarh.  In the 1950's the Chandigarh government commissioned Le Corbusier to design the city as a monument to modernity. Le Corbusier's cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, was hired to design the furniture.

By the 1980's the Chandigarth government considered the furniture as junk, and was sold to the public "for peanuts" at government auctions. Some of the furniture was purchased by a number of wise European 20th Century art dealers, restored, and then offered at auction houses worldwide. As a result, the market for Jeanneret furniture expanded significantly, and value grew dramatically (eg. the chair pictured above has been estimated at 15,000 - 20,000 USD).

The problem: now that the furniture is valuable, the Indian government is attempting to claim ownership of the pieces.

Click here to read the full story from Wright.