The granddaughter of actor Steve McQueen has sued a South Carolina lawyer over the contentious ownership of a Jackson Pollock painting.
Molly McQueen, the granddaughter of Steve McQueen, filed a case in a California court against lawyer Brent Borchert. According to the lawsuit, the Jackson Pollock was given by McQueen to Borchert’s parents, Rudolph and Pamela. He gave the painting in exchange of a motorcycle and a Latigo Canyon property the couple were supposed to give to the actor. However, before the exchange could happen, the motorcycle was reportedly damaged by one of the couple in an accident. McQueen cancelled the deal and requested the painting to be returned to him promptly. According to the lawsuit, the actor never received the work.
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Brent Borchert neither accepted nor denied Molly’s claim. He said that he had seen the Pollock at his home since he was a kid. After his parents’ death, the Pollock was among the things he and his sister inherited. He said that he vaguely remembers his mother talking about the deal around the painting, but does not remember any details. Borchert also added that he is willing to come to some kind of agreement if the granddaughter of McQueen could provide some proof of her family’s ownership of the work. The painting is estimated to be worth $68 million, given how much in demand Pollock’s works are; the most expensive Jackson Pollock painting was sold in 2016 for $200 million. Steve McQueen, known as the “King of Cool” in Hollywood, died in 1980.
