Help Solve the Mystery of the Missing Masterpiece!
Help Mark Find Border Storm!
Due to its remarkable timely subjectmatter, Mark’s highly regarded Border Storm, 84 x 78in, painted in 1987 from his black & white lithograph from a decade earlier, was recently requested for a prestigious, curated exhibition focusing on art of the southwest to be held in a major museum in Fort Worth in late 2025.
Problem is, the painting is nowhere to be found!
Here’s what we know:
First, in the late 1980s, Border Storm was purchased by art enthusiast Frank K. Ribelin, for his extensive collection of southwest art. It hung, for several years, alongside others, at the Jesuit Dallas Museum, which he helped create, as a way to expose young people to quality works of art and foster a new generation of art admirers.
Next, Frank passed away in Dallas, April 26, 2010.
Next, in the fall of that year, an auction of many his works was conducted in Houston by Lewis & Maese Auction Co. .
Next, on October 25, 2024, we contacted the office manager at L&M (713-869-1335), Donna (Donna@lmauctionco.com), who confirmed that they did indeed handle the sale of Border Storm in October of 2010. She explained that she would call the purchaser to determine if they would want to speak to Mark about the project. In a subsequent call, Donna oddly stated that on contacting the woman she found listed as the purchaser, she was informed that this person was actually NOT the buyer; that she knew nothing of the artwork! We explained to her that the painting was almost 7’ square; that, because of its size and subject matter, was likely not hanging in someone’s dining room, rather an institution of some sort.
Then, on pressing Donna further to research other records she should have: crating, shipping, tax, etc., we were told that there were no other records. End of call...
Finally, when a major gallery borrows an artwork for display in a curated show, not only does the gallery treat the work with kid gloves, being displayed in a major show can materially improve the value of the piece.
Border Storm is quite possibly more pertinent today than it was when it was created, five decades ago!
So, there’s the mystery.
Many thanks for your help with this undertaking. And, thanks too to those who have volunteered their time to help us get to this point. Please feel free to contact Mark with any helpful info.
Inquire
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Due to its remarkable timely subjectmatter, Mark’s highly regarded Border Storm, 84 x 78in, painted in 1987 from his black & white lithograph from a decade earlier, was recently requested for a prestigious, curated exhibition focusing on art of the southwest to be held in a major museum in Fort Worth in late 2025.
Problem is, the painting is nowhere to be found!
Here’s what we know:
First, in the late 1980s, Border Storm was purchased by art enthusiast Frank K. Ribelin, for his extensive collection of southwest art. It hung, for several years, alongside others, at the Jesuit Dallas Museum, which he helped create, as a way to expose young people to quality works of art and foster a new generation of art admirers.
Next, Frank passed away in Dallas, April 26, 2010.
Next, in the fall of that year, an auction of many his works was conducted in Houston by Lewis & Maese Auction Co. .
Next, on October 25, 2024, we contacted the office manager at L&M (713-869-1335), Donna (Donna@lmauctionco.com), who confirmed that they did indeed handle the sale of Border Storm in October of 2010. She explained that she would call the purchaser to determine if they would want to speak to Mark about the project. In a subsequent call, Donna oddly stated that on contacting the woman she found listed as the purchaser, she was informed that this person was actually NOT the buyer; that she knew nothing of the artwork! We explained to her that the painting was almost 7’ square; that, because of its size and subject matter, was likely not hanging in someone’s dining room, rather an institution of some sort.
Then, on pressing Donna further to research other records she should have: crating, shipping, tax, etc., we were told that there were no other records. End of call...
Finally, when a major gallery borrows an artwork for display in a curated show, not only does the gallery treat the work with kid gloves, being displayed in a major show can materially improve the value of the piece.
Border Storm is quite possibly more pertinent today than it was when it was created, five decades ago!
So, there’s the mystery.
Many thanks for your help with this undertaking. And, thanks too to those who have volunteered their time to help us get to this point. Please feel free to contact Mark with any helpful info.
Inquire
Back to News Index
