EFTA00995493.pdf
dataset_9 pdf 181.6 KB • Feb 3, 2026 • 3 pages
From: "Jeffrey E." <jeevacation@gmail.com>
To: Melanie Spinella
Subject: Fwd: possible 2014 charitable contributions of art
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 20:07:56 +0000
Forwarded message ---------
From: Heather Gray
Date: Fri, Aug 22, 2014 at 4:00 PM
Subject: RE: possible 2014 charitable contributions of art
To: "Jeffrey Epstein (jeevacation®gmail.com)" <jeevacation®gmail.com>
Cc: Eileen Alexanderson
Jeffrey,
One quick update: I found the 2013 Sotheby's appraisal and the second Braque (Homage to IS. Bach) was
valued at $24 million by Sotheby's in July of 2013.
Best,
Heather
From: Heather Gray
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2014 1:38 PM
To: Jeffrey Epstein (jeevacation®gmail.com)
Cc: Eileen Alexanderson (
Subject: possible 2014 charitable contributions of art
Jeffrey,
You mentioned in our meeting that Leon may want to donate his interests in three works of art to museums in
2014. I've reviewed Ada's notes and I believe the works potentially to be donated are:
I. Georges Braque, La Table
Owned 50% by Leon individually and 50% by MoMA
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Promised gift to MoMA at the death of the survivor of Leon and Debra
Current fair market value per Sotheby's 7/25/14 appraisal: $5.5 million
2. Georges Braque, Homage to IS. Bach
Owned 48% by Leon individually and 52% by MoMA
Promised gift to MoMA at the death of the survivor of Leon and Debra
Not included in Sotheby's 7/25/14 appraisal (perhaps because it is on exhibition at MoMA)
3. Martin Kippenberger, Untitled (from the series The Raft of Medusa)
Owned 100% by Leon individually
Promised gift to MoMA but we do not have a copy of a promised gift agreement so it is not clear if it is
promised at the death of Leon or the death of the survivor of Leon and Debra
Current fair market value per Sotheby's 7/25/14 appraisal: $2.5 million
Documentation
If Leon decides to move forward, in order to complete these donations we will need: (i) a Deed of Gift signed by
Leon, Debra (because she is a party to the promised gift agreements) and MoMA, which I will prepare, (ii) a
qualified appraisal by a qualified appraiser, and (iii) IRS Form 8283 signed by Leon, MoMA and the appraiser
once the appraisal has been prepared.
Timing
Do we know when in 2014 Leon would like to make these donations? From a valuation standpoint, I would
suggest waiting on the donations and appraisal until after the big fall Impressionist and Contemporary auctions,
which are the first two weeks in November. The value of the two Braque works may not change much, but the
Contemporary market continues to rise so the Kippenberger may very well be valued higher after the November
sales. Christie's sold a Kippenberger in May for $18 million - a new world record for the artist - so both
auctions houses will be trying to source Kippenberger works for their November sales.
Logistics
The Sotheby's appraisal gives us a good sense of the current values for the first Braque and the Kippenberger.
Leon and MoMA purchased the second Braque in 2008 for $25 million, so it is the most expensive work in the
group and will need to be valued as part of the decision-making process. If Leon gives Sotheby's the details for
this work, they can value it and add it to the appraisal.
I do not think we should use Sotheby's to prepare the qualified appraisal, however, because the IRS has very
strict requirements for qualified appraisals that Sotheby's appraisals generally do not meet. The IRS closely
scrutinizes charitable donations and the courts have shown a willingness to completely deny a charitable
deduction if the qualified appraisal rules are not followed to the letter. I have several recommendations for other
appraisers which I would be happy to discuss with you.
That being said, if Leon feels strongly about using Sotheby's, I can work with them on the appraisal format and
content. We should expect that they will need quite a bit of time to prepare it, though, as it will not be their
"standard" appraisal format.
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Next steps
The most immediate priority is to determine the value of the second Braque (Homage to J.S. Bach). Once that
value is known, decisions can be made about what to donate and when and then we can start the process with the
appraiser and with MoMA.
Please let me know if you have any questions, or if you would like to discuss this.
Best,
Heather
Heather Gray
Elysium Management LLC
Suite 1401
New York, New York 10022
Direct Dial:
Fax:
Email:
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EFTA00995495
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- 19690ace-a214-46a1-8f47-55e932c62802
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- Feb 3, 2026