Jun 2008 - Brush With The Law

A RENOWNED Lancashire artist is celebrating the recovery of four pieces of his collection, worth £135,000, after commencing a civil action against a fellow artist.

Peter Worswick, a critically acclaimed artist who exhibits across the world, commenced a legal action at the High Court in Manchester after four pieces of his work went missing during a joint gallery venture with Lake District based artist, Michael Bentley.

Daniel Draper, a commercial litigation solicitor at our Shadsworth Business Park office, brought a claim on behalf of Mr Worswick, from Blackburn, for the recovery of the paintings and successfully obtained a freezing injunction against the assets of Michael Bentley at a civil hearing.

It was alleged that Michael Bentley broke conditions of the deal with Peter Worswick to share the 'Michael Bentley Gallery' in Ambleside. As part of the contract, it was agreed that Mr Worswick would pay a sum in cash and give four of his large oil paintings to Bentley with the agreement that Mr Worswick would lease one part of the gallery.

The oil paintings have a market value of between £30,000 and £40,000 each and were hung in a manor house rented by Mr Bentley, and offered for sale to visiting shooting parties.

Peter Worswick has been an artist since 1986 and specialises in figurative oil paintings and is an honorary member of the Guild of Artists. He first met Michael Bentley when he visited the art gallery whilst on holiday in the Lake District, in August 2007.

47-year-old Mr Worswick had been contemplating opening his own gallery to exhibit his paintings until he visited the 'Michael Bentley Gallery' where the joint venture was discussed and finally agreed.

In January 2008 the relationship between the two parties broke down when Michael informed Peter that he could not take over the lease of the gallery. When Peter asked for the return of his paintings, which were being offered for sale for a combined price of £135,000, he was informed that they had been given away.

Daniel Draper commented: "Mr Worswick is an honest, hardworking man who has suffered a great deal of distress, due to no fault of his own, in what is a clear case of breach of contract. I wish him all the best for the future."

Peter Worswick said: "The past six months have been a terrible time for both me and my family and I am extremely relieved to have recovered my work. I entered into this business agreement with complete trust in someone who I believed to be a friend.  How wrong I was. The past few months have proved to be a steep learning curve, and I will find the knowledge I've gained useful when I open my own gallery in the heart of Manchester later this year."

Farleys wish Peter success with his new venture. 

To speak with a Farleys Solicitor that specialises in Commercial Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation please contact us by e-mail or call us now on 0845 050 1958.