RCS - Phoenix Ancient Art - Phoenix Ancient Art Denounces Summary Judgment

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RNS Number : 7943E  Phoenix Ancient Art  14 April 2025

Phoenix Ancient Art Denounces Summary Judgment Based on Procedural
Technicality, Not Merit, Against Qatar Investment

LONDON, GB / ACCESS Newswire (https://www.accessnewswire.com/)  / April 14,
2025 / In a deeply disappointing turn of events, Phoenix Ancient Art has been
handed a summary judgment loss in ongoing litigation with QIPCO (Qatar
Investment and Project Development Holding Company), not due to the substance
of the case, but solely on procedural grounds. The court's decision was based
on a technical hurdle relating to disclosure which resulted in the exclusion
of all of Phoenix's evidence, testimony, and documents. As a result, the
judgment was entered without consideration of the compelling proof Phoenix
provided throughout the five-year legal battle.

The litigation stems from QIPCO's 2020 claims questioning the authenticity
of two stone sculptures
(https://stats.nwe.io/x/html?final=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudmljdG9yaW9sYS5jb20&sig=PRoBOBZsjoWuKahoQWYXqqIKdjFG1k_2m55WFn7mPSReVVwoAEyrWUYeda5JnvU1sS78mcVr8vkJ01yRX_5BRA&hit%2Csum=WyI0dXhuaHIiLCI0dXhuaHMiLCI0dXhuaHQiXQ)
 which was ignited by the unqualified opinion of a British metallurgist:

·      A Byzantine Chalcedony Statuette of Nike

·      A Greek Marble Head of Alexander the Great

These claims were dismantled, both by scientific proof, as well as the court's
dismissal of the Alexander claim.

Despite the fact that Phoenix had submitted extensive expert analysis
supporting its argument (evidence that was not challenged by any expert from
QIPCO), the court's recent ruling struck out Phoenix's comprehensive defense -
which was submitted to the court and includes:

·      Museum exhibition records from one of the biggest museums in the
world and independent expert opinions

·      Scientific authentication reports from the most respectable lab
in the world including 14 samples on one of them alone

·      Testimony from previous owners with original purchase invoices
(dating back as far as 1968)

In 2023, three years after after the original litigation, they produced a new
complaint to include allegations of fraudulent misrepresentation,
reintroducing a previously dismissed piece and adding a new one (i.e.:
A Roman Chalcedony Phalera). The amendment relied heavily on speculative
interpretations rather than facts.

Despite Phoenix's offer to voluntarily provide 100,000 documents from its
disclosure database to QIPCO (all its potentially relevant documents in
possession, including documents that were already produced in the 2020
disclosure exercise and at the time of purchase)- showing transparency and
nothing to hide - the court accepted QIPCO's argument for Phoenix to undergo a
prohibitively costly document-by-document legal review. This financial barrier
became the sole reason for Phoenix not completing the disclosure exercise
which led to the court's exclusion of Phoenix's evidence and the resulting
judgment.

Phoenix Ancient Art has served as a trusted source of antiquities for over 50
years, with its artworks housed in leading institutions such as The Louvre,
The Getty Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and prestigious university
museums including Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Emory. Museum publications
have featured Phoenix pieces on their covers - underscoring the gallery's
integrity, scholarship, and the cultural importance of its collection. To this
day, Phoenix Ancient Art remains proud to have placed 23 major antiquities in
the QIPCO / Al Thani Collection.

"This is not justice," said a spokesperson for Phoenix Ancient Art. "It's a
technical knockout - not a judgment on truth, merit, or evidence. The value,
authenticity, and historical significance of these artworks are beyond
dispute, and we stand by the rigorous research and provenance behind every
piece." This technicality meant that QIPCO did not have to prove what they
have alleged.

Phoenix Ancient Art will continue to explore all legal avenues to challenge
this decision and defend its reputation in the art world.

Contact Information

Hicham Aboutaam

President of Electrum

info@phoenixancientart.com

+2122887518

SOURCE: Phoenix Ancient Art

 

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