A Sotheby’s official appraised a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Younger back in 2005 at $500,000, but when the owner of the piece went to sell the painting, it drew more than four times that amount, selling for $2.1 million. So why such a wide gap between the estimated and actual value? The appraiser claimed that artwork prices spiked due to a large influx of Russian buyers who were eager to obtain old masters. However, the United States Tax Court took issue with this matter in a recent decision, ruling that the appraiser had most likely placed a lowball estimate on the piece to “curry favor” with the owner, an estate likely facing a substantial tax bill. With the IRS viewing valuations for artworks in income, estate, and gift tax returns as a potential area for abuse, it comes at no surprise that the IRS challenged the low value placed on the painting, seeking an additional $781,488 in taxes from the estate.
See Colin Moynihan, Don’t Blame the Russians, Tax Judge Tells Sotheby’s Expert, N.Y. Times, April 23, 2017.
Special thanks to Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.
