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steve wynn
Poke Your Own Picasso
Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn may be suing Lloyd's of London to pay up for his self-damaged Picasso, and he may even be taking a courageous stand versus the whole insurance industry. But now you can own a tangential piece of the story yourself, as blogger Ironic Sans is auctioning a poster featuring Wynn's painting — Picasso's "Le R ve" — from a 1997 Christie's New York auction where the painting was sold for $48.4 million. (Not to Wynn; he bought it in 2001 from the anonymous Christie's purchaser for an undisclosed amount. A pretty good return on the $7,000 investment made in 1941 by Victor and Sally Ganz, whose collection the Christie's event was selling off.) Ironic Sans promises that the poster, going for a mere $0.000012 million as of this writing, remains unpunctured by the elbow of Steve Wynn or any other elbow. What you poke it with after purchase is your own affair. More »
steve wynn
Steve Wynn Sues for Picasso-Poke Cash
Back in October of last year, we ran a little guessing game about who had leaked the story of Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn poking a hole in his Picasso painting just before he was about to sell it for $139 million. Now, Wynn is suing insurer Lloyd's of London in Manhattan's U.S. District Court, attempting to make them expedite processing of his claim for $54 million in lost value. (Apparently, Picasso's "Le R ve" is still worth $85 million even with the hole.) Lloyd's wants Wynn to formally name the depreciation figure first, after which they'll "agree or disagree." A restraining order has been issued versus Wynn's extremities for the duration of the restoration. More »
steve wynn
Max Bernstein: No Leak I
Wynn-Picasso leak update: After favorite suspect Jacob Bernstein came forward to say it was actually his poker- and punk-playing brother Max (pictured) that their mother Nora Ephron had told about Steve Wynn poking his Picasso, we added Max to the suspect poll. This cleverly spread out the Bernstein suspicion among the two brothers, leading to Barbara Walters taking the lead. Now Max writes in to defend himself as well, and he brings a new character into the scenario — Arianna Huffington:Max in Arianna Huffington's office here. My mother (Nora Ephron) will use many kind adjectives to describe my brother Jacob, but "completely trustworthy" might not be one of them. However, I'm the one who was in Las Vegas and told no one, and am positive she did not tell my brother, so he's not the leaker.So both Bernsteins claim innocence, leaving Walters, Republican beauty exec Georgette Mosbacher, and art dealers Serge & Tatiana Sorokko. But why would Max mention Arianna Huffington? Surely she doesn't have any connection to this, right? Wrong! Here's a photo of Arianna mugging with ... Georgette Mosbacher! In some ways, Huffington and Mosbacher are like opposite numbers, yin and yang — two powerful, rich, politically connected women, just on different sides of the aisle. How deep does the conspiracy go? Wheels within wheels. Trust no one! Poll continues below. More »
steve wynn
Jacob Bernstein Gives Up His Brother
In response to our poll about who leaked the story of Steve Wynn mauling his Picasso, Jacob Bernstein himself writes:Thrilled to be winning your contest, but as it turns out, I was not the "totally trustworthy" son mentioned in the item. That would be my brother Max, who actually was in Vegas that weekend because he plays poker (which I don't). So I learned about the whole thing, like the rest of the world, when it broke in Page Six.Of course, that's just what you'd expect a leaker to say. Nevertheless, we're happy to spread the mantle of suspicion onto Max Bernstein as well. Poker player, eh? Shady business, that. Ergo, below is a new poll with all the usual suspects, plus both brothers Bernstein. Pick your preference to plug the leak. More »
steve wynn
Steve Wynn Picasso Attack: Fix the Leak
Yesterday, we expressed curiosity as to who might have leaked the story about Vegas casino boss Steve Wynn damaging his $139 million Picasso right before selling it. Witness to the event Nora Ephron claimed it was "very clear" who talked to Page Six, but she did not ID the leaker by name. We have our suspicions, and we admit to throwing out another Ephron quote a little disingenuously — the one where she told one of her sons about it, but that it wasn't a violation of the secrecy pact because her son is "completely trustworthy." More »
steve wynn
