Museum drops claim to famed O'Keeffe work

NASHVILLE, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The yearlong court battle between the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Sante Fe, N.M., and Nashville's Fisk University over a key O'Keeffe painting has ended.

The museum, which represents O’Keeffe’s estate, had objected to a proposal by the financially strapped university to sell O’Keeffe’s "Radiator Building -- Night, New York," The New York Times said Wednesday.

However, the institution decided to drop its claims after a judge rejected its $7.5 million offer to buy the painting, paving the way for a lengthy court battle.

"There was no point in going on," said Saul Cohen, the museum’s board president. "We don’t want to make their life any more difficult than it is."

In December 2005, Fisk, in an effort to boost its endowment, sought court permission to sell "Radiator Building" and numerous other works O'Keeffe had given the university.

The museum sued to block the sale, arguing that Fisk wasn't entitled to sell the paintings under the terms of O’Keeffe’s gifts.

With the museum bowing out, Fisk can negotiate with the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which had offered $30 million for a half-interest in the collection, meaning it would be displayed at Fisk and in Bentonville, Ark.