Art fraud is a disturbing reality in the Aboriginal Art world and given the upsurge of suspect works coming onto the market this content has been featured to serve as a warning to buyers and sellers of Aboriginal Art.
TEXT: AUTHORSHIP DETERMINES VALUE fakes and family paintings Essay in relation to fake Aboriginal Art. Author: Milanka J Sullivan
- Couple accused of selling forged paintings (In relation to alleged Rover Thomas forgeries.)
THE AGE NEWS PAPER : Reporter: Kate Hagan
2007
To view articles 1 2.3.4.5.6. , click on:
1.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/10/23/1192941066146.html
2.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/word-of-accused-art-forgers-good-enough-for-expert/2007/10/24/1192941153105.html
4. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/accused-forger-befuddled/2007/11/01/1193619061318.html
`And this is
the Libertos, who thought they'd get away with it`
Kate Hagan
November 3, 2007
(Couple accused of selling forged paintings found GUILTY)
Art -Fraud couple go straight to jail. ( 3 year jail sentence)
.......................................................................................................................................................................
Herald-Sun July 2000.
These photographs are not proof of authenticity. These and others like them showing different renowned artists with paintings are in abundance. DO NOT BE FOOLED, seek second opinions from professionals before taking part in any transaction.
Not only are sellers and makers of fakes guilty of profiteering through deception , they are also guilty of exploiting such beautiful artists like the above and robbing them of their dignity. The latter is particularly unconscionable and it is still happening today with other beautiful old artists, who are cornered into such sad displays. I cannot begin to describe my rage over this long term problem and I am certainly not alone. There is nothing cultural about production line counterfeit art, it is GREED pure and simple.
Attributed to Colin Dixon Tjapanangka 1987 and featured on the
front cover of a book titled `TJUKURRPA Desert Paintings of Central
Australia`. (Note! The authors of this book could not have known that this work
was created by a white person, for at the time the seller was considered `honest`
and the extent of frauding in the industry was still largely unknown, as was the
art. Also it must be said that the authors might still not know about this work
being illegitimate.)
Fake 1998 Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri painting featured on an invitation card
to a 1999 Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri art exhibition in Sydney. This card
played a key role in alerting the artist to the existence of this fake and
others in the exhibition that ultimately led Clifford Possum to reporting this
to the NSW police, who took action against the supplier of these counterfeits in
a landmark court case in 2000. A news clip in relation to this case is shown
above.
Fake Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri 1993
Fake Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
Fake Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
Heath Ramzan working on `Carpet Snake Dreaming, c.1991-1992`
which is a painting featured in `The Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri Retrospective`
and in the accompanying book. This painting is also featured in `The Art of
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri` by Vivien Johnson published in 1994. Given that
the artist had some input in this work, it cannot be categorized as a
fake/fraud, but rather documented as a `family work`, though not acknowledged as
such in the `retrospective` and -professionally speaking- ought not to have been
included in this most important exhibition.
According to Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Heath Ramzan (or Ramzam?) is not an Aboriginal and -as Tjapaltjarri clearly stated during the committal hearing of John O`Laughlin- Heath Ramzan has no right to the artist`s dreamings and is not allowed to paint them. That Ramzan assisted here and with other works on occasion does not give him licence to paint Clifford Possum's dreamings, as he has done since the artist`s death, in which Ramzan participated in the sabotage of Clifford Possum's will to be buried at Napperby (Larumba).
This fake Clifford Possum painting showing the
artist wearing a hat that is too small for the artist and is not his own, which
was obviously placed on the artist`s head during the photo session, is one of a
large number of similar counterfeits owned by an individual, who claims that the
works originally came from another seller. Some time ago these fakes were up for
sale at a claimed Aboriginal owned art gallery in Darwin and it took some time
and much effort to convince the owner to withdraw them from sale. Since then
this shown work only recently appeared on Ebay in November 2007 with a starting
price of $17,000.00 and was being sold by a dealer located in Alice Springs, who
said that he was selling it for `a local Alice Springs collector`. Fortunately,
the work failed to get a bid. But from this it can be assumed that regardless of
the fake status of this particular batch of counterfeits these works are still
on the market and being offered as authentic paintings.
Fake Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
This work was withdrawn from Elders Fine Art auction in 2007 after Semon Deeb ( the owner of Jinta Aboriginal Art Gallery) and I convinced Mr Elder that this work was a fake. Following this the owner of this painting listed it on eBay along with its so-called certificate of authenticity from its former owner, but did mention the fact that the authenticity had been challenged by an art consultant, who based her opinion on a photograph of the work, but not the actual painting. This work was sold and the winning bidder was fully aware of the possibility that his win was a fake. This work is now featured on the winning bidder's website as a genuine painting by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri. So obvious is this fake that neither Semon Deeb, nor I, needed to see the work in real to arrive at the conclusion that we did. Here again is a perfect example of blatant deception in the Aboriginal Art arena. New news! The dealer has removed this work from his website, though this does not mean that this fake is off the market.
More works and information to come