Amagansett homeowner Alec Baldwin is hosting iHeartRadio’s new Art Fraud podcast based on fellow Hamptonite Michael Shnayerson‘s 2012 Vanity Fair article on Manhattan’s now-infamous Knoedler Gallery, which unknowingly, or knowingly — depending on who you ask — sold dozens of Abstract Expressionist forgeries and defrauded collectors out of millions of dollars over nearly two decades. Baldwin’s interest may have been piqued due to his own history as a victim of a fraudulent art sale.
Part of the wildly popular true crime genre of podcasts, brought to the fore by Sagaponack native Sarah Koenig‘s Serial in 2014, the eight-episode Art Fraud series is touted as an “investigative journey through one of the biggest cases of art fraud in US history.” This story, which is also told very well in Barry Avrich‘s 2020 documentary Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art, now streaming on Netflix, explores art world greed, willfulness, gullibility and, in many ways, the fragile credibility of the entire gallery system.
Courtesy iHeartRadio
Several of the artists who were forged are among those who lived and worked in the Hamptons, including Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell and Willem de Kooning. East Hampton artist Alfonso Ossorio, former owner of Ron Perelman‘s The Creeks estate, also played an important role in the story, as the original seller of the forgeries, Long Islander Glafira Rosales, said he brokered the deals that eventually landed the paintings in her hands.
In a statement, iHeartRadio explains the show and why the story was particularly scandalous, given the fact that Knoedler Gallery was at its center. “In operation since 1846 and home to some of the cities greatest artists, the gallery’s fortune changed the moment an unassuming woman walked through the door with a canvas under her arm allegedly painted by the Abstract Expressionist master Mark Rothko,” it says. “So began a 17-year relationship that would result in the sale of nearly 40 paintings from the likes of Motherwell, de Kooning and Jackson Pollock totaling more than 80 million dollars. The only problem was that they were all fake.”
Baldwin is no rookie in the podcasting world. He hosted his Here’s the Thing conversation podcast for WNYC Radio from 2011 to 2020, recording more than 150 interviews, before moving it to iHeartRadio, where he continues to produce episodes.
It should be noted that Baldwin may have had a special affinity for hosting Art Fraud since he experienced his own taste of well-heeled art galleries acting in bad faith when NYC art dealer Mary Boone agreed to sell him Hamptons artist Ross Bleckner’s 1996 painting “Sea and Mirror” for $190,000, but she couldn’t get the piece from the collector who owned it, so the dealer had Bleckner paint a copy and gave that to Baldwin in 2010, without his knowledge, instead.
The New Yorker chronicled the story in “Wet Paint,” explaining that Baldwin received the painting signed and dated with the proper inventory number assigned to Bleckner’s original “Sea and Mirror.” Baldwin noticed the difference, and when he asked Boone about it, she said the painting had been cleaned. Then, after five years of owning the painting, Baldwin had it examined by an expert from Sotheby’s who uncovered the fraud, and Bleckner admitted to creating the copy when the actor confronted him about it.
In the end, Boone dodged criminal prosecution due to the statute of limitations on the crime, but she lost a civil suit and was forced to give Baldwin a six-figure settlement in 2017.
Baldwin and Shnayerson are both credited as executive producers of Art Fraud, which aired its first two episodes yesterday, February 1, on iHeartRadio and is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts. Listen to the preview below.
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.
