HOUSTON — A massive African art collection that has spent years shrouded in controversy was set to be sold Thursday but the auction was canceled at the last minute when the owner said he filed for bankruptcy.
Sam Njunuri owns the collection and said he filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy Wednesday night. He showed up to the canceled event but had a friend speak for him due to health complications.
"This collection has been going on for more than 20 years in the interest of doing something that will be of relevance to the community," Stanley Reid said on Njunuri's behalf.
At one point, the collection was housed in a Harris County warehouse and was linked to Commissioner Rodney Ellis. It was set to be auctioned off to settle and help fulfill a previous judgment tied to a civil case unrelated to Ellis.
The collection consists of more than 1,000 pieces. For the last two years, it has been housed in two cramped rooms in a building off Savoy Drive in southwest Houston.
Local art collectors were disappointed they waited until the last minute to cancel the auction. Instead of picking up new pieces of art, they were turned away.
Njunuri and Reid didn't say anything else about the bankruptcy filing but said their goal is eventually to display the pieces in an art museum.
The collection has been at the center of a legal battle going on for years. In 2022, Njunuri lost a civil case and was ordered to pay more than $1 million in damages, according to attorney Joseph Walker, who represented the people who sued Njunuri.
"We haven't had a settlement with Sam," Walker said.
Walker said they've yet to receive any money, which is why a judge ordered the auction. Walker said his clients were forced to take Njunuri to court after their belongings they left at a home they were set to rent from him were taken while they were out of town.
"It was their whole family history, family heirlooms, everything," Walker said.
Walker said they're frustrated because they think Njunuri filed for bankruptcy to avoid the auction.
"He's made no effort to try to resolve this himself, He's got 1,300 pieces there and he could have done something with them to satisfy the judgment," Walker said.
They're pieces that were once housed at the expense of the public. The warehouse where the collection was stored was reportedly paid for through taxes. After a grand jury declined to indict Ellis on criminal charges, the collection was moved to a building in southwest Houston.
"The district attorney tried to do a grand jury investigation, and in all fairness to him, he was no billed," Walker said.
According to Walker, recent statements show that Njunuri has between $1 million and $10 million in assets. He said they're going to file for proof of claim in bankruptcy court.
Reid said he and Njunuri plan on speaking out soon to clear up what's been going on. For now, the collection will remain where it's at in southwest Houston.