Update on the sale of Walter Potter's Collection

You'll rememer that Walter Potter's eccentric collection of taxidermy was sold off item by item by Bonhams auction house in 2003, and you'll also remember that the English artist Damien Hirst wrote a piece for the Guardian lamenting the impending sale and claiming he offered £1 million for the entire collection ... well ... now the former owner of the museum, a Mr. John Watts, is suing Bonhams for turning down the £1 million offer.

Walter Potter's Kitten Wedding sold for over $30,000
by Bonhams.Mr. Watts is to bring a claim in the High Court against Bonhams for allegedly failing to alert him to an offer from Hirst. He is demanding that Bonhams make up the £572,000 difference between the sale price and the offer from Hirst, who said that he wanted the collection to stay in this country. 

In an article from The Times, Mr Watts says that he had desperately hoped to keep the collection together and was completely unaware of the offer from Hirst. He said: “It was stated in the contract that Bonhams would consider every serious offer from potential clients to acquire the whole collection and keep us informed of such interest. This did not happen.”   “We have tried to discuss this amicably but with no joy. They leave us with no option but to pursue our complaint in the courts.”  [read the article +]