Sunday, October 05, 2014

"Judge Steven Rhodes today pressed Detroit emergency manager Kevyn Orr to provide a better explanation for why he chose not to sell Detroit Institute of Arts property."

That was from Friday, and I assume, based on everything we've heard about Judge Rhodes and the art, that the point of the questioning was less to challenge the conclusion than to build a better record in the bankruptcy case.

The Art Market Monitor summarizes Orr's responses as "reveal[ing] that he put DIA in play enough to see what the museum might be able to come up with.  The resulting 'Grand Bargain' was effectively found money to Orr."  Nicholas O'Donnell agrees:  "We may indeed look back on this as pulling a rabbit out of a hat, when all is said and done."