Sculptures Returned to Márton Váró but Lawsuit Continues
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Published on Monday, 13 February 2012 21:36
It was a partnership that was announced with lofty goals to make the town of Ave Maria a center for fine arts and, in the process, spark a renaissance of traditional Catholic art throughout the world.
The first - and, it seems likely the only - fruit of the collaboration between sculptor Márton Váró and Naples gallery owner Michael Windfeldt sits over the main doors of the Ave Maria oratory - a breathtaking 70-ton bas relief depiction of The Annunciation, carved by Mr. Váró over several years and unveiled with much fanfare in March, 2011.
The partnership now is in shambles and the former partners are embroiled in a lawsuit, with Mr. Váró and Mr. Windfeldt making bitter charges and recriminations about each other.
Mr. Váró returned to the Naples area from his home in California in late January, and took possession of sculptures that were on consignment at Mr. Windfeldt's Galerie du Soliel. (Right, Mr. Váró with some of the sculptures) The sculptor had demanded in a lawsuit initially filed last summer that Mr. Windfeldt return the sculptures, which Mr. Váró said the gallery owner was unreasonably refusing to do.
The marble carvings now sit in a rented facility in North Naples where Mr. Váró has been working to clean them up, hoping to sell them to art aficionados in the Naples community.
"I need to sell these for income," Mr. Váró said, saying that Mr. Windfeldt took advantage of him during the course of their six-year relationship that began when Mr. Windfeldt began representing Mr. Váró in January, 2006.
"I conceived and produced the magnificent Annunciation sculpture and was paid at the rate of a stonecutter," Mr. Váró said.
Mr. Windfeldt disagrees.
"We have paid well over $1 million to Márton ," he said, "including $715,000 in cash, $117,000 in per-diem expenses and $240,000 in other payments."
At the heart of the current dispute is a May, 2009 agreement that created Annunciation of Ave Maria, LLC, a company formed by Mr. Váró, Michael Windfeldt and Mr. Windfeld's father, Gene, to produce the Annunciation sculpture. Gene Windfeldt advanced the money for the procurement of the marble in Italy and its shipment to the United States, and also agreed to pay Mr. Váró $20,000 a month while he was working on it. The money would be recouped from fundraising efforts spearheaded by Michael Windfeldt that primarily involved the sale of 100 bronze scale models of the Annunciation sculpture for $25,000 each. The sale of bronzes also would provide additional payments for Mr. Váró and Mr. Windfeldt's Gallerie du Soleil.
Only 12 bronzes have been sold, however, leaving Gene Windfeldt with a loss that Michael Windfeldt says is more than $2 million, and Mr. Váró without additional payments that he was expecting. (Left, in happier times, Michael Windfeldt, 2nd from right, poses with his hand on Mr. Váró's shoulder after the last piece of The Annunciation sculpture was installed in January, 2011)
Mr. Váró s lawsuit, initially filed in July, 2011 and amended when the sculptor hired a new lawyer later in the year, sought return of sculptures from Galerie du Soliel as well as unspecified damages and a detailed accounting of the business relationship between Mr. Váró and Michael Windfeldt, including all of the financial affairs of the Annunciation at Ave Maria entity.
Michael Windfeldt said he voluntarily returned the sculptures to Mr. Váró and has turned over a full financial accounting to the sculptor's attorney. "We have done nothing wrong, and we've got nothing to hide," Mr. Windfeldt said.
Judge Hugh D. Haynes of the Collier Circuit Court has ordered mediation and set a hearing date for April 10, but it is unclear what is still being disputed, given that the main demands in Mr. Váró's lawsuit - return of his sculptures and a detailed accounting - appear to have been fulfilled.
Mr. Váró said his attorney, Mark V. Silverio of Naples, is evaluating the information provided by Mr. Windfeldt to determine the next step. Mr. Silverio declined repeated requests for comment on the status of the case.
