The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts is seeking an expedited trial in the legal battle to sell art, including two works by Norman Rockwell, to fund a renovation and endowment.
Just before the auction was scheduled to begin, the state attorney general's office appealed a Berkshire Superior Court decision green-lighting the sale after Rockwell’s three sons and museum members brought suit.
An appeals court judge approved a one-month injunction late Nov. 10th, halting Monday's sale.
In a statement Tuesday night, the museum’s lawyers said they are asking for an expedited trial to “allow for the Board of Trustees to pursue plans critical to securing the museum’s future.”
The lawyers pointed to the opinion of the Superior Court Judge John Agostini, who wrote: “a delay in the auction runs the risk that Sotheby’s will be unable to generate similar consumer interest if and when the injunction is lifted.”
