A California man named Jason Harrington has pleaded guilty on charges of selling fake paintings from Barkley Hendricks and Richard Hambleton. The 38-year old Escondido resident admitted to have sold forged paintings of Hambleton’s Shadowman to over a dozen galleries between the last three years. One of which auctioned for over $500,000 USD in 2018 and another for nearly $400,000 USD in 2019.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office released a statement detailing on how Harrington lied to buyers about the works by providing a forged letter that was supposed to imitate the previous owner of the artwork. Harrington had many schemes for each attempt, such as telling a gallery that he inherited a Hendricks painting from his uncle, to going as far as setting up a call with a potential buyer and someone who was pretending to be a past buyer.
The FBI had a clear message: “Fraudulent and forged artwork degrades the integrity and trust within the art community and today’s guilty plea should send a clear message – the FBI will aggressively pursue those who use fraud schemes to make a living, regardless of the type of instrument used to commit the fraud.”
As part of the settlement, Harrington will pay $1.1m USD and could face up to 20 years of prison when he appears for his verdict on October 22.
Spottings of new murals and installations scattered throughout five English coast towns are believed to be the work of world-renowned street artist Banksy.
Found in Lowestoft, Gorleston, Oulton Broad, Cromer and Great Yarmouth in England, the stenciled works exhibit the mysterious artist’s trademarks but are yet to be claimed by his representatives.
Three works popped up in Lowestoft with one featuring a large seagull hovering over an actual dumpster and another of a child holding a shovel placed near a mound of pavement sand portraying the act of building a sandcastle. Within the town’s Nicholas Everitt Park near the Oulton Broad, another painting was made out showing three children playing on a little boat. Originally an actual prow was attached to the wall but was temporarily removed by the Oulton Broad Parish Council due to the weather. A message along with the artwork reads, “We’re all in the same boat.”
In Gorleston, an arcade crane game lingers above a bench as to seemingly pick up pedestrians. While in Cromer, a hermit crab holds up a sign reading “luxury rentals only,” which spotlights Banksy’s known political tendencies.
Another potential work of the artist is located in Great Yarmouth which features a couple dancing along with an accordion player above a bus shelter. Among the town’s Merivale Model Village, a new cottage was added with a stencil of a rat and the words “Go Big or Go Home” sprayed on one side, while the name “Banksy” covers another side of the mini home.
“Banksy has clearly been enjoying an East Anglian staycation: these are very sophisticated stencils showing an artist at the top of his game,” Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Arts University Bournemouth, Paul Gough stated to BBC.
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