Multi-Million Art Evidence

A former assistant curator at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery alleged that gallery files were tampered with. Paul Hachey, a 17-year employee of the New Brunswick art gallery, said he heard stories about Lord Beaverbrook's son breaking into filing cabinets at the art gallery. The gallery and the family controlled Beaverbrook U.K. Foundation are fighting over ownership of 133 paintings. It was the final day of testimony in Fredericton at an arbitration hearing over ownership of the paintings. The art gallery says they were given to the gallery by newspaper magnate Sir Max Aitken and belong to the people of New Brunswick, while the family claims they are owned by the British branch of the Beaverbrook Foundation. Among the paintings in dispute are Turner's Fountain of Indolence, estimated to be worth as much as $25 million, and Hotel Bedroom by Lucien Freud, which could be worth as much as $8 million. Hachey also testified he had noticed something curious about some gallery records. References to foundation ownership appeared to have been typed at a different time - or with a different typewriter - than the rest of the page. For the full story - click the title Irish Art