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"They provided collectors with invented, written biographies of nonexistent artists, complete with signatures"

By Intellectual Property Law, Esq.

Derek Fincham points to this story of a mother-and-son team of art dealers in New Orleans whose scam was to "buy inexpensive Chinese paintings from wholesale distributors and then market and sell them, at a large profit, as works created by [fictional] Louisiana artists." They've each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and face fines of $250,000 and up to five years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for January.

Derek draws a familiar lesson: "Do not buy art as a tourist, if you are spending more than a thousand dollars, make sure you educate yourself about the dealer and the artist."

Full post as published by The Art Law Blog on October 24, 2008 (boomark / email).