Good scandalous reads

[NotHardUp1]

We just don't see enough gossip in Hot Topics. Gays have a trope to maintain, after all.

I was reading up on an appraiser from the Antiques Roadshow, the original UK version, which led me to read up, in turn, on Philip Mould. That led me to an interesting couple of articles from 2011 & 2012 when rival art dealer Mark Weiss tried to smear Mould by online attacks and press leaks. Salacious Mayfair gossip, it was!

Then, I came across this article on a lawsuit against Mr. Weiss back in 2019. It is an even better scandal:

Sotheby’s settles claim against London dealer Mark Weiss in Frans Hals case

Settlement came day before trial was due to start, but its suit against financier will continue

www.theartnewspaper.com

And here is the aforementioned scandal of Mr. Weiss trying to Iago his Othello:

Masterpiece of malice: The extraordinary story of the debonair Antiques Roadshow expert, his jealous rival and the fine art of conducting a vendetta

For two years, in a secretive campaign of intrigue, the fine-art dealer Mark Weiss has sought to undo his rival, the handsome and debonair gallery owner Philip Mould.

www.dailymail.co.uk

So, what good reads have you come across lately, of scandals, preferably lesser known?

 

[Peloso]

I heard Grimshaw was actually born a hermaphrodite.
Intersex! I mean intersex!
Whew. Thought I lost my wokeness for a minute there.

 

[NotHardUp1]

That's neither a good read, nor lesser known.

We must do better.

 

[LoveMyPeppermill]

Well, there's the sexual abuse scandal at Boston Ballet from 2021-22:

The Scandal Rocking Boston's Ballet World

When multiple young women accused a Boston Ballet prima ballerina and her husband of subjecting them to sexual violence almost too lurid to believe, it made headlines around the world. Then the accused lashed back at their protégées with an eye-popping defense tailor-made for tabloids. Behind...

www.bostonmagazine.com

 

[LoveMyPeppermill]

There's last year's scandal at the Orlando Museum of Art, which paid big bucks for Basquiat paintings that turned out to be forgeries:

Reeling from Basquiat Scandal, Orlando Museum Will ‘Reevaluate’ All Shows Planned by Ousted Director

The institution has named Luder Whitlock as interim director.

www.artnews.com

 

[LoveMyPeppermill]

A very good piece about alleged sexual misconduct at the Royal Ballet in London by gay choreographer Liam Scarlett, who ended up committing suicide:

Luke Jennings · Learned Behaviour · LRB 23 September 2021

There are few more exuberantly beautiful spectacles than the Royal Ballet’s dancers in flight. They describe their...

www.lrb.co.uk

 

[rareboy]

I am frantically trying to think of any that aren't already the main topics of mainstream news over the last decade.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I am frantically trying to think of any that aren't already the main topics of mainstream news over the last decade.

My thought was the thread could serve as a repository, and when someone came across a good read, he can come post a link here.

 

[rareboy]

We should also dip back to resurrect some of the best historical scandals...especially those involving sodomy, buggery, new stuff about long dead royals or celebs.