Cleaning up the international art market one fraud at a time |
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WELCOME The art market, is the last unregulated frontier of commerce. Art WatchDog is here, ready to expose the scammers, thieves and frauds that thrive in the dark, before your hard earned money disappears down that proverbial drain, taking with it the reputations and often the livelihood of many a talented artist. They're now on notice. 
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Park West Gallery under fire in lawsuitJennie Miller a C & G Staff Writer A lawsuit has been filed in Oakland County Circuit Court against Park West Galleries Inc., owner Albert Scaglione, gallery director Morris Shapiro and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., with 10 plaintiffs accusing the gallery of fraud. Lord jailed for three years over art fraudMarch 20, 2009 A LORD convicted of knowingly selling a fake LS Lowry-style painting has been jailed for three years. Art Dealers Accused of Rigging AppraisalDavid Hewett The order, Daughters of Mary, Mother of Our Savior, and St. Joseph Chapel, Inc., charged that Albany art dealer Mark LaSalle made a false appraisal of a painting, which belonged to the religious orders, breached his contract and warranties, and made false and fraudulent statements to the orders, and that Mark Zaplin worked in concert with Mark LaSalle, and "perpetrated fraud" against the orders. Gallery Owner Charged in Huge Art ScamSamuel Maull, AP The owner of a now-closed Manhattan art gallery with a star-studded clientele was painted as a thief who stole $88 million from art owners, a bank and investors, including tennis great John McEnroe. Gallery Owner Charged in Huge Art ScamFiled December 9, 2008 French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir and one of his assis¬tants, Richard Guino, created the eleven sculptures at issue between 1913 and 1917 ("the sculptures"). The sculptures were first published in France no later than 1917 under Pierre-Auguste Renoir's name. There was no pre-1978 publication containing an American-style copyright notice. 6,000 bronzes have entered the market
By Danielle Robert and The Art Newspaper Rodin, Barye and Maillol are just a few of the French sculptors reproduced by Guy Hain who awaits judgment this month How fine art dealer "Forged" a lavish lifestyleJohn Lehmann from the New York Post A respected Manhattan art dealer masterminded a multimillion-dollar international art scam in which he bought up works by 19th century French artists, forged them and sold off the fakes through prestigious auction houses, the feds charge. Suit questions gallery's RenoirsDennis Wagner from the The Arizona Republic Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the celebrated French Impressionist, once mused, "Why shouldn't art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world." "Rima Fine Art" and "House of Renoir" not the real deal after allOn June 18 "Rima Fine Art", "House of Renoir", Tracy Penwell and Dror Darel managed to place a TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) on us for publishing information questioning the authenticity of the Renoir Sculptures in their gallery and on their web. Forcing us to remove information from our web. Click to see court document |
Fake Renoir sculptures in Scottsdale*A letter from the Renoir and Guino family points out that most of the Renoir sculptures at the "Rima Fine Art Gallery" in Scottsdale AZ, owned by Tracy Penwell and run by Dror Darel are FAKE. The original plasters the gallery claims are in their collection are actually at the SUSSE Foundry in Paris click to see document. More about Dror DarelJury awards $125,000 in art copyright caseScottsdale A U.S. District Court jury has ordered a Scottsdale gallery to pay $50,000 in damages for violating 10 copyrights by reproducing a collection of sculptures created by artists Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Richard Guino. Renoir's great grandson embroiled in "$1 billion art fraud"Nadim Samman A plan to market thousands of reproductions is revealed in an Arizona courtcase. Who is Richard Guino*
Special Report: Con Men and Fake ArtLying, stealing, forging, illegal copying and illegal investment schemes. Evan Wall Carter arrestedEvan Wall Carter also known as Michael Harrison was arrested at 8 a.m. Thursday January 9 2003. This is one con man that is now off the internet due to the efforts of all the people involved. Australians are hitting backStandards Australian is seeking industry agreement for a new national code of conduct and on-line register for the art industry to stamp out art forgeries, which cost art buyers millions of dollars. Art fraud has reached epidemic proportions around the world with thousands of people falling victim every year. Tips for avoiding art fraudKnow what you are buying. Read about your field of interest and get acquainted with the prices in auction catalogs and different shops before you start buying. Beware of Marc Rosenbaum
Alberto Chailosky I am sure you did not know they were stolen at the time of purchase. Mr. Rosenbaum can be quite slick and deceiving. I need to know if you own one of these pieces. I have NO intention of prosecuting you, or asking for my work back. John Drewe, 50Accused of amassing large amounts of money by selling fakes of modern masters on the art market as newly rediscovered works. Well-Traveled RenoirIn 1985, an art dealer in Missouri purchased a Renoir painting entitled La Loge (also called Au Theatre) for $191,000. He later learned the painting was a fake and was copied from an existing Renoir located in Paris. Better Business BureauThe scam is old, but the twist is new: peddling fraudulent art as an investment. Stop Art FraudWell at least protect yourself from art fraud. |
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Facts on fraudConsumers from the Federal Trade Commission If you have been involved either as an artist, buyer, or collector please contact us at info@artwatchdog.com. You can also help by putting the following logo on your site and linking it to our site.
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