Chicago Pulls $10 Million Work From Auction After Criticism
- Marshall’s ‘Knowledge and Wonder’ won’t be sold at Christie’s
- Chicago paid $10,000 for the work, commissioned by a library
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A painting by Chicago-based artist Kerry James Marshall won’t be auctioned off after all, a reversal of his hometown’s controversial decision to sell the work.
Marshall’s “Knowledge and Wonder” was withdrawn from a Nov. 15 Christie’s auction by mutual agreement with the city of Chicago, Christie’s said Sunday. The work, commissioned by a local library in 1995, was estimated to sell for $10 million to $15 million. Part of the proceeds would have been used to expand the Legler Branch Library, which had housed the painting for more than two decades.