Michael Jackson’s Forgotten Fortune: Secret Art Collection Uncovered & Valued At $900M /Update @pg10

[Diplomate]

that makes my heart bleed.

and i can't understand how a parent can stab a son in the back like MJ is being stabbed

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I met him when he was in London in March 2009, spent some time with him. And how Thome acted during that time is something they should really look into. There were other people there who know exactly what that man did, why they don´t raise their voices I don´t understand.

Thanks for your answer.

I can't believe this bastard is free to do business like that, I'm sure he got blood on his hands.

 

[JMie]

I don't understand why Tohme isn't being investigated. This is very upsetting.

 

[Moonwalker.Fan]

The 10 Craziest Things About the $900 Million Michael Jackson Art Feud

http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/3...out-the-900-million-michael-jackson-art-feud/

 

[Big Apple2]

I don't understand why Tohme isn't being investigated. This is very upsetting.

Nobody is paying attention to Thome-Thome because he's not in charge of The Estate Of Michael Jackson.

In my opinion, the "folks" who could get the ball rolling in Thome-Thome's direction are TOO BUSY pointing the finger at Branca, because they themselves want to be in charge of The Estate.

Thome-Thome is merely an afterthought, and I'm sure he's very happy with that position.

 

[bubbyduck4MJ]

Ugh this is so messy! I'm praying it works out how it was meant to without low life's benefiting instead of Michael's own children.

 

[myosotis]

*Well someone agrees that 'fakes' are a terrible thing......
I wonder what happened to:
'Currently, Strong's full time focus is dedicated again to the realization of the "Statue of Freedom" in CA - essentially engineering his comeback - his legacy. As a result, he is no longer creating any abstracts, portraits, paintings or signing new limited edition prints thereby freezing his supply and preserving the value of his work. If you would like more information on Brett-Livingston Strong and his collection, or to purchase any of Strong's work, call (516) 578-3456 or visit, http://www.thebookportrait.com, or http://www.fineartinvestors.com. '
Does this mean that BLS may have had some 'bad news' about the MJ collection...perhaps he is no longer expecting a windfall?

*Today:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Brett-Livingstone-Strong/43921468212?sk=wall

We are excited to announce we are currently RE-PRINTING all Brett-Livingstone Strong entire Fine Art Collection to include all image's in existence- prints, Litho's and Giclee's collection series all images are a Limited Edition series. BLS Fine Art Collection
With advanced copying technologies adding advanced security features to the paper. With new designs on each Certificate of Authenticity. To further prevent counterfeit copy's in existence and the sale of unauthorized possibly fake fine art prints currently being sold without Certificate of Authenticity's on EBAY and private unauthorized Internet websites.


Afterthought: I wonder if this means he is printing more of 'The Book'...I thought the existing prints had been bought by an investor....printing a lot more isn't going to do much for that investment if so. ( except for the value of the MJ signed ones of course...no chance of any more of those.)

 

[Petrarose]

I am not buying it.

They tried going behind the estate's back...and got caught.

I think so too, and his statement surely does not clear things up. I will always see him as a thief of Michael's art. Now I am wondering what else does Michael have out there that is being held by crooks!!

 

[missred07]

Someone should really investigate Thome Thome. So many things are so strange related to these man.
Maybe LaToya should do it since she said follow the money tracks.
All these art works should belong to the estate and eventually to MJ's kids.
I just don't buy the story that MJ would gave away all his artworks. Doesn't make any sense at all.
So if we follow the money tracks. Here comes Thome. The J family are too busy focusing on the estate.
It's even more sad that Thome is brought by Jermaine.... I guess MJ really can't trust anyone including his own family.

 

[Petrarose]

the whole thing is so crazy. why did Michael suddently decide to give most of his creative arts to someone else as the "gifts"? if it's just a watch, jacket, diamond... I could see it happened beacause Michael was so generous, but his life time creative works? I don't believe it. It's not hard to see how much he treasured his creative works. I remember in one of Michael's interview he complained that his drawings always got stolen. he "gift" millions dollars of his lifelong creative artworks to someone without even signing the "gifts" himself? make no sense at all. is there any other gifts Michael gave away with his business manager's name on it?

I agree. For Michael to find a secret place like a hanger to work on his drawings and then simply give most away--impossible!!! On another note, I hate how these reports of the articles that are printed above mention that things involving Michael is bizarre. I guess it is too simple for them to state that the people involved conduct shady deals.

 

[Ashtanga]

I hope that if / when the estate secure ownership of these drawings, that they think of something creative to do with them. It would be great if they could maybe un-copyright one design per year, and perhaps run a competition for under 25's through schools and colleges to create something, using all or part of the design eg using wood, clay, fabric design, embroidery, weaving etc...all items to be sold thereafter (above cost of materials) in aid of charity...maybe global winners to have their creations included in a website ...so potential employers could spot upcoming talent. I think that would be much more interesting than just selling prints!

Edit: Not wanting to 'hijack' the thread with these thoughts I thought I would reply here...Thank you to CherubimII below, your support for this idea is very much appreciated. I was looking at some of the designs on facebook last night, and it seemed clear that Michael drew them with an idea that they would be made into actual items, not just remain drawings on a page. Some of them, like the key designs, could potentially make very attractive jewellery ('key to my heart' pendants?), or be incorporated into fabric / clothing designs. Similarly the 'gate'-type designs could make very attractive picture frames.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.1439036192526.41682.1731678178

http://[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/705/mjdrawingskey4.jpg/][/URL]



http://[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/339/mjdrawingsgate.jpg/][/URL]

Now that I've seen :doh: ... Wow, beautiful drawings. :wild: :heart:

 

[Memefan]

MJ was so talented.

 

[twinklEE]

^

he was the embodiment of an artist IMO

 

[Aquarius]

I met him when he was in London in March 2009, spent some time with him. And how Thome acted during that time is something they should really look into. There were other people there who know exactly what that man did, why they don´t raise their voices I don´t understand.

What did Thome do? Please explain.

 

[Rhilo]

That facebook link isn't working. So BLS is still in possession of Michael's art and is going to sell prints? WTF?

That sketch of a Key was in the book Katherine put out last year. This is all so sneaky of his family and the crooks they've ganged up with. I hope something is done soon to get Michael's art back

 

[myosotis]

That facebook link isn't working. So BLS is still in possession of Michael's art and is going to sell prints? WTF?

That sketch of a Key was in the book Katherine put out last year. This is all so sneaky of his family and the crooks they've ganged up with. I hope something is done soon to get Michael's art back

I'm not sure why the link isn't working for you I'm afraid...but BLS's page says he is just going to re-print his own (BLS) full collection....ie his own artworks, so no, at present there is no mention of printing Michael's art, from the BLS facebook site.

The MJ drawings were not on the BLS facebook site, but were linked on the 'One rose for Michael' facebook page ..and the pictures are the same as those from Star magazine. Apologies for any confusion.

 

[Rhilo]

^Okies thanks for the clarification His behaviour (BLS) speaks volumes, and I smell a rat. Or several rats.

 

[moodyblue97]

What did Thome do? Please explain.

Do you mean what he did over all and what Michael expressed himself or just in London?

 

[ivy]

^^
both, starting with London.

 

[myosotis]

Just an update on Michael's art works...some of these these are much bigger than I thought..... but then MJ always did 'think big!'.
182 of these are going to take up some space....no wonder they needed a hanger.

This is from what is now named the BLS official facebook site, and according to this someone has started a BLS 'fake' facebook site called BLS Interest, or similar (which I can't find. There is one called BLS artist....)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Offic...ngstone-Strong/140465539316706?closeTheater=1

http://[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/kjandkeydesignbymj.jpg/][/URL]

 

[Ashtanga]

Just an update on Michael's art works...some of these these are much bigger than I thought..... but then MJ always did 'think big!'.
182 of these are going to take up some space....no wonder they needed a hanger.

This is from what is now named the BLS official facebook site, and according to this someone has started a BLS 'fake' facebook site called BLS Interest, or similar (which I can't find. There is one called BLS artist....)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Offic...ngstone-Strong/140465539316706?closeTheater=1

http://[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/847/kjandkeydesignbymj.jpg/][/URL]

I really hope that all these wonderful things that Michael did... follow the correct path and do not stop in the wrong hands. ray:

 

[Petrarose]

I remember that Michael's mom had said that some of the art from his home were sent to her house after he died. I hope those are being kept for the children too. Did the Estate ever respond to the questions about this news?

 

[Aquarius]

Explain what happened in London and tell us about the bruises.

 

[moodyblue97]

Explain what happened in London and tell us about the bruises.

Sorry, I missed this totally.

In London when I met him, Thome didn´t leave his side many times. And every single time he wanted Michael´s attention he grabbed his arm. And he grabbed him so hard that he got bruises by it. Sometimes you get bruises easily but this was because of him grabbing so hard. And Michael tried to get out of his grip and when he did he put his hand on his arm as it did hurt and he said "my arm gets blue by that". He seemed stressed (Thome) when people talked to Michael, and he tried to keep people, fans and even friends out of the way by saying he needs to concentrate on the business. Well, there were no buisness going on in the hotel suite after he had visited Oliver play, he just wanted to talk to the ones being there. I got the feeling Thomes were afraid of leaving Michael alone with other people. I can only speculate why.

 

[Rhilo]

Moodblue97 - if you don't mind me asking, did you know Michael personally? It looks like you were there with him on several occasions, such as his birthday party at Neverland

 

[Petrarose]

Moodblue97 - if you don't mind me asking, did you know Michael personally? It looks like you were there with him on several occasions, such as his birthday party at Neverland

^^Funny.

 

[ivy]

Did the Estate ever respond to the questions about this news?

No they didn't

 

[Rhilo]

^^Funny.

Um?? okay.

 

[twinklEE]

Moodblue97 - if you don't mind me asking, did you know Michael personally? It looks like you were there with him on several occasions, such as his birthday party at Neverland

yeah, did you know him personally? Since you seem to know so much about what was going on in Michael's life.

 

[tricia70]

I just knew Michael had a treasure of drawings and sketches he had done over the years. The fact that it is out there is great news, now let's hope it ends up in the right hands- with Michael's children and MJ's estate.

 

[myosotis]

Moodblue97 - if you don't mind me asking, did you know Michael personally? It looks like you were there with him on several occasions, such as his birthday party at Neverland

I really want to know too ^......and I didn't want to interrupt the conversation, but since it has been a little while since the last post, I hope you'll forgive a little 'diversion' here. I'll try and keep it short, but it is quite interesting......

Here is another apparent instance of 'overvaluation' (by an appraiser) of artwork connected to BLS... or How to turn $100 into $500,000
This case relates to an entrepreneur who funded several of BLS's sculpture projects, and who purchased the 'Malibu Rock- Tribute to John Wayne.' The entrepreneur later gave the rock as a donation to a 'charitable organisation' ie a college , and then claimed charitable contribution deduction of $500, 000 from his federal taxes. The tax authorities decided to look into the valuation of the sculpture and the attachment here gives their findings.

http://taxpravo.ru/sudebnie_dela/st...rphy_v_Commissioner_United_States_Tax_Court_-

The following paragraphs may be of some relevance to the current 'MJ estate' situation, at least regarding valuations of artworks.

In early 1979, the California Department of Transportation removed a large sandstone outcropping (weighing over 100 tons) protruding from a cliff approximately 300 feet above a group of houses and the Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu, California. The process received extensive media attention, and the removed boulder was dubbed "The Malibu Rock."
Brett Livingstone-Strong (Strong), an artist and sculptor, purchased a chip off the removed boulder for $100. Using pneumatic jack hammers and chisels of various sizes, he carved, in a public setting, the face of John Wayne on the boulder. The carving took 70 days to complete; it received considerable public attention since John Wayne was ill, and some believed his death was imminent. The sculpture (hereinafter referred to as the rock sculpture or the John Wayne rock sculpture) was entitled "The Malibu Rock≈A Tribute To John Wayne" or "Life, Time, Light."

Petitioner saw promotional as well as financial opportunities in acquiring Strong's sculpture. Therefore, in 1979, petitioner agreed to acquire the John Wayne rock sculpture from Strong by paying various of Strong's expenses, by promoting the rock sculpture to enhance its value, and by providing Strong with financial support to enable him to bring his artistic career into fruition.
In connection with the promotion of the John Wayne rock sculpture, petitioner arranged for brochures to be published, which stated that petitioner had paid Strong $1 million for the sculpture. Petitioner paid to have a building constructed at Manns Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to house and display the sculpture near John Wayne's handprints in the sidewalk. He also paid the expenses required for a motorized float to transport the rock sculpture as part of the Hollywood parade.


The next section relates to valuations, by independent appraisers: someone called 'Peavy' for the Tax office and someone called 'Ewell' for the entrepreneur ( who was apparently provided 'evidence of previous sales and commissions' by BLS) .
Ewell valued Strong's John Wayne rock sculpture at $500,000 as of December 31, 1985. He acknowledged that his appraisal did not follow "the traditional approach in terms of being able to demonstrate and quote comparables by other artists and building a framework in the market," but rather was valued based on the "history" of the sculpture and Strong's expanding reputation. He relied heavily on the purported $1 million commission price for the Presidential Monument, which he determined was the closest comparable work of art to the John Wayne sculpture, finding nothing sufficiently similar in published auction records to provide a comparable outside of Strong's own works.

Upon being given copies of Strong's biography, and a list of comparable sales used by Ewell, Peavy attempted to verify those sales. He was able to verify only two sales of Strong's works: (1) The "Lawrence Welk" bronze, purchased for "considerably less than" $100,000 (the sale also included a second casting); and (2) the "Los Angeles-Nagoya, Japan Sister City Monument," which a private group commissioned for less than $100,000.
Peavy opined that the quality of Strong's John Wayne rock sculpture is inferior to the work of established artists in the carved sandstone medium, such as Seiji Kunishima.
Peavy found no documentable sales of Strong's works at a price above $100,000 prior to or at the time of donation. He could not verify many of the sales and commissions attributed to Strong, and with respect to those commissions or sales which he was able to verify, he found the claimed prices grossly inflated.

Regarding 'fair value' the court said: Ewell, ..... claims that the closest comparable to the rock sculpture is Strong's Presidential Monument, which he believes the White House Staff commissioned for $1 million. But the White House Staff did not commission this work; thus, the premise upon which Ewell's value is based is seriously flawed.
The record convincingly shows that petitioner and Strong attempted to enhance the value of the rock sculpture, as well as develop Strong's career, by publicity and "hype." The elaborate promotional brochure states that petitioner paid $1 million for the John Wayne rock sculpture (and the sculpture was promoted as The Million Dollar Rock), when in fact such was not true. (The record does not indicate the exact amount petitioner paid for the sculpture, as opposed to the amount petitioner paid to promote the sculpture.)

Court finding:
Finding respondent's valuation more credible than petitioner's, we hold that the fair market value of Strong's John Wayne sculpture on the date of donation (taking into account the 2-year restriction on transferability) was $30,000.