A man from Escondito, California, a suburb of San Diego, pleaded guilty today to selling $1.1m in forged art to at least 15 galleries and individuals between 2018 and 2020, according to the United States Department of Justice. Among the works of art that the Californian, Jason Harrington, passed off as authentic were several that featured Richard Hambleton’s ominous Shadowman.
To make the pictures seem legitimate, Harrington would present buyers with a letter “purportedly signed by the individual who obtained the art’’ and lie about the provenance, the department says. On one occasion, it adds, he asked someone to claim that the work was purchased directly from Hambleton, a celebrated street artist, and presented the buyer with doctored photographs to make it seem as if the person who had obtained he art knew Hambleton personally, it adds.
Harrington also admitted to trying to sell a forged Barkley Hendricks, claiming to the owner of an art gallery that he had inherited the portrait from his uncle, the Department of Justice says. The gallerist turned down the offer, however, after Hendrick’s widow inspected the work and deemed it a phoney.
As part of his plea, Harrington agreed to pay at least $1.1m in restitution.
Source link : https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/california-man-admits-to-selling-over-usd1m-in-forgeries-including-several-featuring-richard-hambleton-s-shadowman
