“The Rogue Gallery Owner and the Missing Art”

In Australia it is extremely rare for an art story to hit the front page of a mainstream, national newspaper. Congratulations to Chief Reporter of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, Chip Le Grand, for covering 'Rogue Gallery Tristian Koenig and the Case of the Missing Artworks.’ The report identified numerous artworks which Koenig had not returned to artists who had originally consigned the works to his gallery. Guest Work Agency has been advising six artists in relation to this matter. Since Le Grand’s report was published, many purchasers of ‘missing’ works have come forward.

Chip's work on this story has been recognised by the The Walkley Foundation for Journalism who awarded him The June Andrews Award for Arts Journalism, with the judges noting

"Chip Le Grand’s exhaustively researched and superbly written series of stories lifted the lid on an unregulated and unexamined corner of the contemporary art world, reuniting emerging and vulnerable artists with lost works, and giving impetus to multiple legal actions against a prominent gallerist. Investigative journalism at its best, it was also a riveting read.”

Chip recently spoke about the latest updates on the whereabouts of Tristian Koenig, and some of the more systemic issues affecting the primary art market in this Please Explain podcast episode for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

To follow our updates on this matter, subscribe to our quarterly newsletter, The Host, which includes our regular Art Case Update.

Guest Work Agency is a boutique art law and advisory firm based in Melbourne, but is international in reach. It is the first dedicated art law practice in Australia, working with artists, collectors, galleries, arts organisations, art fairs and art tech start-ups.

For more information contact us at info@guestworkagency.art.