“We have the Mona Lisas of properties,” said former president Donald Trump, in a newly released video of an April 2023 deposition obtained by CBS News. “I have some of the greatest pieces of property in the world.”
“I say they’re ‘paintings,'” he continued. “You put a painting on the wall. It doesn’t throw off your cash flow, but you can sell certain paintings for a tremendous amount of money. That’s what I have.”
The comparison of real estate to artworks continued throughout the deposition, which centered on the “iconic” properties at issue in his New York civil fraud case, including Trump Towers, 40 Wall Street, Mar-a-Lago, Seven Springs, and the Turnberry golf course in Scotland.
“They’re the Mona Lisas, the Renoirs of property, many of my properties,” said Trump.
Isabelle Brourman’s sketch of Donald Trump’s testimony.
Isabelle Brourman
Some of what Trump considers his greatest works and his real estate empire are in jeopardy in the civil fraud trial. Attorney General Letitia James has asked for a lifetime ban on Trump in New York’s real estate industry. He has already been found liable for fraud and has denied all wrongdoing.
It was unexpected for art to play a central role in a trial about allegedly fraudulent financial statements and false property valuations.
“When Don Jr. was on the stand, that was the entire conversation,” said artist Isabelle Brourman, who sketched the trial. “My father is an artist. Appraisals are an art, they’re not a science. And so there’s a lot of using the vehicle of art to explain away breaking the rules.”
During the trial, Donald Trump Jr. testified that his father is an “artist with real estate,” and described properties as a “canvas” for his father’s art. He called Trump a “creative guy” and a “genius.”
Even the final words of Trump’s closing argument touched on art, when his attorney Alina Habba declared that “real estate is not a science, it is art.”
Isabelle Brourman’s sketch of the trial.
Isabelle Brourman
Much of the trial felt like true political theater. On the final day in court for closing arguments, Trump and his attorneys gave their most theatrical performances yet, with Trump himself launching into an unauthorized soliloquy in which he called the trial “a fraud on me.” Adding drama to the day, Judge Arthur Engoron received a bomb threat at his home that morning.
There to capture it all was Brourman. With no cameras allowed in court, artists like Brourman provide a window into the world behind the courtroom doors. But she is not a traditional courtroom sketch artist, whose work is usually intended for the news media. Portraying Trump’s trials and run for president is an art project that Brourman plans to exhibit. Her dream would be to show her work in the rotunda of the 60 Centre Street Courthouse, where the civil fraud trial stretched on for 44 days of testimony.
“Being a sketch artist is an opportunity to make art and observe some of the biggest moments that are happening right now in our democracy, in the court,” said Brourman. “Every sketch artist that has done it before has served the aesthetic of a network. And that’s not what I’m doing.”
Brourman first entered the world of court art when she decided to sketch the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial. She showed those drawings in a gallery designed to look like a replica of the courtroom last year in Los Angeles.
Her intimate portraits feature expressive lines and scribbled text with fragments of testimony, legal arguments and her own observations. There is an atmospheric and narrative quality to her works, which feature a mix of watercolors, acrylic paint, colored pencil, and ink.
Isabelle Brourman’s sketch of former Trump Organization executive Jeffrey McConney.
Isabelle Brourman
“I’ll do live writing, then mix that with very fast gestures and reactive mark making,” said Brourman. “I’ve never had this need for something to resemble something perfectly, it’s more of a feeling.”
Brourman herself was like a piece of art in the courtroom, wearing bold outfits by fashion designer Mia Vesper, who styled her for the trial.
“When we choose outfits, we’re like, ‘What would be the most badass thing we could wear for this witness,'” said Brourman. “It’s like this secret additional layer of messaging that’s happening in the space. It’s like gaining agency in a place where the power dynamics are being examined, are set in stone, just like the legal space itself, the courtroom.
“To be able to be powerful in that space and make choices, it feels good,” she added. “And it’s a statement.”
Isabelle Brourman.
Mia Vesper Tapestry Suit shot by Noa Griffel
Her work has attracted the attention of Trump, who remarked that it was “amazing.” He then touched his neck near his tie and said, “I gotta lose some weight.”
She was initially drawn to Trump when she went to the New York hush money arraignment, in which he was accused of falsifying business records to cover up a potential sex scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels. It was Trump’s first day in court as a criminal defendant, and the first time an ex-president had been indicted on criminal charges. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
“I felt myself wanting to sketch him and felt his power and his confidence,” Brourman recalled. “That kind of kicked off me wanting to dive into his candidacy for the next year or so, and be a part of documenting the history of it in a really immersive way.”
Brourman diligently documented the New York civil fraud trial, often working late into the night after court to finish her sketches from that day. She studied the trial’s participants so intently that she admitted, “even when I leave, I see these people anyways.”
But she was surprised that art was such a theme in the trial.
Isabelle Brourman’s sketch of Ivanka Trump.
Isabelle Brourman
“It was the last thing I was expecting to hear about the most. I think art got defined in the legal setting as basically the space where it’s open to interpretation,” she said. “The idea that if you say it’s art, it’s art. Art was framed as the ultimate freedom.”
In a fitting ending, even the judge’s last words of the entire trial referenced artists, with his usual dash of wit.
“Thanks everyone,” said Engoron. “I could go on and on. The officers, the lawyers, the sketch artists – try to do a better job on my face though.”
Engoron has said he will do his best to issue a ruling in the case by Jan. 31.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
