Holzer, the pop artist’s former protegee, took the stand at Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday (15Nov10) to give evidence against James Biear, an ex-chauffeur who was charged with fraud last year (09).
Biear is accused of stealing 11 Warhol works from his former employer, elderly art collector Kenward Elmslie, and transferring $3.2 million (£2.1 million) from one of the ailing millionaire’s bank accounts into his own.
The defendant is said to have later sold one of the works – Warhol’s famous Heinz 57 wooden ketchup crate – to Holzer for $220,000 and she told the court how she spent a further $20,000 (£13,300) to have the painting restored, reports the New York Post.
The actress, dubbed Baby Jane in the 1960s, was among the first of Warhol’s superstars to attract intense media attention before shunning the spotlight in the 1990s.
The case continues.
