The FBI executed a search warrant at Dane Fine Art, a gallery and auction business in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, on July 29.
A spokesperson for the FBI’s Philadelphia field office confirmed that agents were conducting “court-authorized law enforcement activity” but did not disclose the purpose or target of the investigation.
Victor Fiorillo, a senior reporter for Philadelphia magazine who was at the scene, reported seeing several agents enter and leave the two-story building. Agents were also observed handling artworks inside, while sections of the gallery’s windows and doors were covered with brown paper.
Dane Fine Art reopened the following day. Employees declined to answer questions from local media about the search.
The business sells paintings, prints and sculptures and operates online auctions. Its website lists works attributed to artists including Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder and Jean Michel Basquiat.
The gallery’s ownership has not been publicly established. Local news outlets have reported possible links to Philadelphia art dealer Nathan “Nicky” Isen based on a corporate registration address and the redirection of a website previously associated with his former gallery.
Isen pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2015 after accepting $20,000 in cash for 12 artworks while understanding that the money represented proceeds from marijuana sales. Authorities have not said that the Dane Fine Art search is connected to Isen or the earlier case.
As of Sept. 7, no criminal complaint or indictment related to the search has been made public. The execution of a search warrant does not by itself establish wrongdoing by the gallery or any individual.
SayArt.net
Jason Yim yimjongho1969@gmail.com
