Asian Art Collection Embroiled In Florida Lawsuit

SARASOTA (AP) — Construction of an Asian Art center at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota is underway and the newest addition to the Ringling campus is scheduled to open its doors in January of 2016.

The Herald-Tribune reports that unless a lawsuit by its benefactor can be resolved, it will do so without the valuable collection of Asian art donated by Helga Wall-Apelt.

In May, Wall-Apelt, filed the lawsuit against The Ringling, Florida State University — it owns the museum— and the FSU Foundation, its fundraising arm. The suit claims the three have failed to comply with the terms of a 2006 gift agreement in which she pledged her $30 million Asian art collection, millions of dollars in ongoing support and the remainder of her considerable estate upon her death.