In this Oct 16, 2020 file photo, a member of staff poses in front of a work of art by Banksy called Show Me The Monet at Sotheby's auction house in London. PHOTO AP HONG KONG - An heiress of Hong Kong beverage giant Vitasoy International is suing prominent gallery owner Pearl Lam, saying she has paid 500,000 pounds $613,000 for a Banksy painting that was never delivered, according to a court writ filed this week.
Karen Lo, whose grandfather founded Vitasoy, said Lam falsely claimed that she had bought Banksy's Show Me The Monet painting on Lo's behalf.
The 2005 painting by British artist is a remix of a masterpiece by Impressionist painter Claude Monet.
It was sold at a Sotheby's auction in October 2020 for more than 7.5 million pounds, much above the estimated sale price of 3 million pounds to 5 million pounds.
Lam is one of more than 170 gallery owners participating in Art Basel Hong Kong this week.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has welcomed the art fair as it tries to reinvigorate the economy.