After my three works were inadvertently sent to Sidney, Australia, instead of Salzburg, Austria, postal authorities in Sidney forwarded the works to Austria (thank you, Australia). But the saga did not end there. Once the artworks arrived in Austria, they were held in Vienna by customs authorities who wanted a VAT (value added tax) payment before releasing the work. No one had expected this new turn of events, and the Velvenoir team argued correctly that the works were on loan, and that no tax should be due.

Nevertheless, customs in Vienna refused to listen to reason, essentially holding the art for ransom. Velvenoir has agreed to pay the sum, which is not inconsequential. We have all learned lessons for this episode, although I admit I’m still processing.

The image I’m posting with this update is from Velvenoir’s Dec 22 2014 Facebook page. Five stars to Velvenoir for its prowess!

January 2015 Update:
All three works received in great shape by Alexandra over at Velvenoir. All’s well that ends well!