Saturday, July 30, 2011
A Roadshow Moment to Remember
Bernard Ewell - Dali Authentication
We promised when we had signed documents on the appraisals or authentications from the professionals hired by Park West Galleries, we would print them. We have also attached Fine Art Registry's comments for you to examine and judge for yourself. While ArtTrak certainly does not profess to be a Dali expert or fine that matter an expert in prints, we are interested in methodology. It is somewhat puzzling to me as an appraiser and authenticator how this one document could be the only substantiating reference for authenticating such a valuable work. We note this is page 2 of 6. We ask our readers to send us the rest of the package if we have unfairly represented Ewell's efforts. JB
A Sherlock Holmes he is not when it comes to "discerning" much of anything regarding the Dalí prints at issue - except to simply sign off on them for Park West Gallery and collect a check. Not only did he not discern clues as he certainly should have relating to the Dali prints other experts have inspected - he altogether ignored gigantic red flags that should have been enough to stop any competent expert. Assuming Ewell independently investigated any of the "information", "prints", "research" or "clues" as they relate to "authorship", "authenticity", "originality", or "condition", he certainly missed or outright ignored (or was told to ignore) obvious clues such as the poor condition of many of the prints Ewell claims are in excellent condition, serious gaps in, or non-existent provenance in the "line of descent" of the prints, strange documents and proven data forgeries used to support the authenticity of the prints, and sketchy documentation that is quite obviously not related to any specific prints in any way, as well as documents that have clearly been manufactured on demand. One only has to look at the set of Divine Comedy prints that were sold to Sharon Day and Julian Howard for nearly $500,000, in addition to others we have reviewed to see the pattern of deception as it relates to the Park West Gallery Dalí provenance documents.
Fine Art Registry will go into a great deal more detail regarding the Park West Gallery wildly distorted and counterfactual provenance in a separate article (see below), but it is interesting to note that throughout the entirety of our over two and half years of investigation into Park West Gallery Dali prints, Park West has never readily made these provenance documents available to prospective buyers for inspection IN ADVANCE of purchase. Why? Because if everyone with even a modicum of sophistication regarding art collecting got hold of the Park West Gallery so-called provenance in advance, it wouldn't take them long to discover exactly what Fine Art Registry has found.
There are many, many other "clues" that Ewell missed as to the inauthenticity of the Dalí graphics we have reviewed that will be addressed in another in-depth investigative article we will publish soon. The article will focus on the Park West Gallery provenance in particular and how it is non-existent and unavailable, unless and until one of its customers demands a refund. Once a refund is demanded by a victim (and especially if it is for a substantial sum) suddenly, the victim is papered to death with all manner of documents in French, Italian, Spanish and, if Park West could get away with it, in Swahili too. In nearly every case, none of it is translated into English and none of it is in any way specific to the victim's print or prints at issue. Doctoring and manufacturing provenance is an age old deception in art fraud and art crime. In our next article, we will go into great detail regarding the tricks of the trade. How criminals use provenance to fool the unsuspecting collector, buyer and art professional." fineartregistry.com
"Analysis of Flawed Provenance and Ewell's Cookie Cutter Authentication Reports and Opinions
Ewell claims in scores of his cookie cutter authentication reports he prepared for Park West Gallery that he "discerns from the information, [Dali] prints and research all clues as to authorship, authenticity, originality, and condition." We find this statement amazing, considering Fine Art Registry has evidence that in all cases we have reviewed (and we have reviewed a great number of Ewell's opinions - in fact, if you've read one, you’ve read them all), Ewell did NONE of these things.A Sherlock Holmes he is not when it comes to "discerning" much of anything regarding the Dalí prints at issue - except to simply sign off on them for Park West Gallery and collect a check. Not only did he not discern clues as he certainly should have relating to the Dali prints other experts have inspected - he altogether ignored gigantic red flags that should have been enough to stop any competent expert. Assuming Ewell independently investigated any of the "information", "prints", "research" or "clues" as they relate to "authorship", "authenticity", "originality", or "condition", he certainly missed or outright ignored (or was told to ignore) obvious clues such as the poor condition of many of the prints Ewell claims are in excellent condition, serious gaps in, or non-existent provenance in the "line of descent" of the prints, strange documents and proven data forgeries used to support the authenticity of the prints, and sketchy documentation that is quite obviously not related to any specific prints in any way, as well as documents that have clearly been manufactured on demand. One only has to look at the set of Divine Comedy prints that were sold to Sharon Day and Julian Howard for nearly $500,000, in addition to others we have reviewed to see the pattern of deception as it relates to the Park West Gallery Dalí provenance documents.
Fine Art Registry will go into a great deal more detail regarding the Park West Gallery wildly distorted and counterfactual provenance in a separate article (see below), but it is interesting to note that throughout the entirety of our over two and half years of investigation into Park West Gallery Dali prints, Park West has never readily made these provenance documents available to prospective buyers for inspection IN ADVANCE of purchase. Why? Because if everyone with even a modicum of sophistication regarding art collecting got hold of the Park West Gallery so-called provenance in advance, it wouldn't take them long to discover exactly what Fine Art Registry has found.
There are many, many other "clues" that Ewell missed as to the inauthenticity of the Dalí graphics we have reviewed that will be addressed in another in-depth investigative article we will publish soon. The article will focus on the Park West Gallery provenance in particular and how it is non-existent and unavailable, unless and until one of its customers demands a refund. Once a refund is demanded by a victim (and especially if it is for a substantial sum) suddenly, the victim is papered to death with all manner of documents in French, Italian, Spanish and, if Park West could get away with it, in Swahili too. In nearly every case, none of it is translated into English and none of it is in any way specific to the victim's print or prints at issue. Doctoring and manufacturing provenance is an age old deception in art fraud and art crime. In our next article, we will go into great detail regarding the tricks of the trade. How criminals use provenance to fool the unsuspecting collector, buyer and art professional." fineartregistry.com
Asia Continues Buying
HONG KONG.- Christie’s concluded its Spring season with a total of HK$4bn (US$515m), including the off-season sale of fine wines in March and April, the Spring sale series from 27 May to 1 June, and the Beijing sales by Christie’s brand licensee in China - Forever. This represents the highest season total for Christie’s in Asia, which is a 68% increase over the same period a year ago and 17% over the second half of 2010 (HK$3.4bn/US$440m). These results indicate the continued growth in the breadth and depth of collecting interest, and reaffirm Hong Kong as a leading centre in the global art market.
“Strong bidding with moments of passionate enthusiasm was the hallmark of the week of Spring auctions in Hong Kong. With two standing-room-only salerooms operating concurrently from 10 a.m. to late in the evening, sparkling prices were obtained for Asian and Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary art, Chinese Ceramics & Works of art, Chinese Classical and Modern Paintings & Calligraphy, Jewelry, Watches and Wine. With sales up 65% over the same period last year, the growth of the art market in Asia is greater than anywhere in the world. This is due to the strength of the economy in the region and also to the great appetite of Asian collectors for Works of Art of the finest quality,” said François Curiel, President of Christie’s Asia.
As Asian buyers continue to drive the sales, intensive bidding resulted in prices going well over their estimates across all categories, and sharp increases in sales totals from 2010. In the May/June sales, 36 auction records were achieved across the range of categories, with private collections being particularly sought-after by sophisticated buyers.
Strong Chinese buying continues to fuel Christie’s sales, with Greater China clients (from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong) contributing to70% of the total sale value of Christie’s auctions this season.
In addition to traditional Chinese art categories such as Chinese Paintings, where 91% of buyers were from Greater China, luxury categories such as Wine, Jewelry and Watches also saw a high proportion of buyers from that region. Jewelry, for example, saw an increase in Greater China buyers from 67% in Autumn 2010 to 72% in Spring 2011.
International participation also remains strong, especially in Watches where internet bidding from Christie’s real-time bidding service (Christie’s LIVETM) accounted for 25% of the total bidding and sales from clients in 21 countries from Europe, South America, Asia, North America, UK and the Middle East, the highest proportion of sales completed online at Christie’s Hong Kong.
Forever, the brand licensee of Christie’s in China, recorded the best season sale results in its six-year history, achieving RMB180m (US$28m) from its Spring 2011 series of sales in Beijing. The four Forever sale categories were Chinese Paintings, Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Chinese 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Chinese Liquor.
“Strong bidding with moments of passionate enthusiasm was the hallmark of the week of Spring auctions in Hong Kong. With two standing-room-only salerooms operating concurrently from 10 a.m. to late in the evening, sparkling prices were obtained for Asian and Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary art, Chinese Ceramics & Works of art, Chinese Classical and Modern Paintings & Calligraphy, Jewelry, Watches and Wine. With sales up 65% over the same period last year, the growth of the art market in Asia is greater than anywhere in the world. This is due to the strength of the economy in the region and also to the great appetite of Asian collectors for Works of Art of the finest quality,” said François Curiel, President of Christie’s Asia.
As Asian buyers continue to drive the sales, intensive bidding resulted in prices going well over their estimates across all categories, and sharp increases in sales totals from 2010. In the May/June sales, 36 auction records were achieved across the range of categories, with private collections being particularly sought-after by sophisticated buyers.
Strong Chinese buying continues to fuel Christie’s sales, with Greater China clients (from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong) contributing to70% of the total sale value of Christie’s auctions this season.
In addition to traditional Chinese art categories such as Chinese Paintings, where 91% of buyers were from Greater China, luxury categories such as Wine, Jewelry and Watches also saw a high proportion of buyers from that region. Jewelry, for example, saw an increase in Greater China buyers from 67% in Autumn 2010 to 72% in Spring 2011.
International participation also remains strong, especially in Watches where internet bidding from Christie’s real-time bidding service (Christie’s LIVETM) accounted for 25% of the total bidding and sales from clients in 21 countries from Europe, South America, Asia, North America, UK and the Middle East, the highest proportion of sales completed online at Christie’s Hong Kong.
Forever, the brand licensee of Christie’s in China, recorded the best season sale results in its six-year history, achieving RMB180m (US$28m) from its Spring 2011 series of sales in Beijing. The four Forever sale categories were Chinese Paintings, Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Chinese 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Chinese Liquor.
Cleveland Museum Art Acquires Congo Collection
CLEVELAND, OH.- The Cleveland Museum of Art announces the acquisition of a single collection of 35 works of Congolese sculpture from the Belgian collectors René and Odette Delenne. In exceptional condition, these works represent the deep cultural meanings and formal diversity of the art of Central Africa, ranging from the naturalistic styles of the Kongo people to the abstract styles of the Ngbandi people. This acquisition was in part a donation by the Delenne family to the Cleveland Museum of Art, a gift which acknowledges the distinction of the museum’s existing African holdings and importance as a comprehensive art museum.
An exhibition in the spring of 2013 featuring the Delenne collection, along with a companion catalogue, is being planned to celebrate this acquisition, which puts the museum’s African art collection among the best in the United States.”A private collection with a personality and character of its own, and comprising artwork of exceptional quality, at once expands and elevates the Cleveland Museum of Art’s existing African collection,” explains Constantine Petridis, the museum’s curator of African art. David Franklin, director of the Cleveland Museum of Art elaborates,”These acquisitions bring our collection to a level equal to that of the country's finest African art holdings; while making it possible for us to develop new exhibitions and programs, and conduct new research in the field.”
The René and Odette Delenne Collection
The 35 objects acquired by the museum cover the scope and breadth of Congolese art in that it contains prime representations of most of the dominant styles found in the Congo Basin up to the midtwentieth century. The collection is also comprised of a strong core of objects from the Lower Congo region, inhabited by the Yombe, Vili and other Kongo-speaking peoples. Many works in the collection are distinguished by deep patinas indicating intense usage over a long period of time. However, these objects are quite intact and complete in terms of the preservation of their original accessories and accoutrements, such as feathers, animal hides and pelts and beaded decorations. Also included in the collection are two crucifixes which testify to the early contacts between that part of Africa and Europe, as well as a helmet-like mask from the Suku people of the Kwango-Kwilu region in southwestern Congo.
The René and Odette Delenne Collection is one of the oldest surviving Belgian private collections. The Delenne collection of Congolese sculpture has never been exhibited in its entirety and many objects remain unpublished, a situation that will be addressed by the upcoming exhibition and catalogue organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art. However, some of the artworks were included in two exhibitions which are generally recognized as landmarks in the field of African art, the 1970 exhibition Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika, organized by Elsy Leuzinger at the Kunsthaus in Zurich and the 1988 exhibition Utotombo, organized by a team of Belgian experts at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.
Highlights from the Delenne collection include:
• Male and Female Figure Pair, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ngbandi people.A pair of figures like these stunning works most likely represents the founding ancestral couple of a community. Displayed near a shrine, or simply stored in the house of a husband and wife, such sculptures were believed to bring good luck and offer protection.
• Female Bowl-Bearing Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Luba people. Such bowl-bearing figures are among the most important accessories of royal diviners. The female figure is sometimes interpreted as the wife of the spirit by which the diviner is possessed during his divination session. In general, such sculptures belong to the category of mankishi or”power figures” that enable communication with the spirit world.
• Male Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Songye people. An exquisite example of a Songye nkishi or”power figure,” this type of carving was used to deal with all kinds of human trials and tribulations. Assuring the figure’s effectiveness are the animal, plant or mineral ingredients that the ritual specialist assembles and inserts in one or more cavities, most often in the swollen abdomen, or in a horn planted in the skull. Such an implanted horn at once functioned as an”antenna” between earthly and heavenly realms.
• Male figure, Republic of the Congo, Beembe people. This large figure of the Beembe people is arguably the finest and most beautiful of two surviving carvings of this genre, the other being preserved at the Museum of Ethnology of the University of Zurich, Switzerland. The hairdo and beard suggest that this is the representation of a chief or at least a high-ranking male individual. It is believed that the figure belonged to a cult of the ancestors and that its responsibilities included assuring the protection and wellbeing of its owner
• Helmet Mask, Republic of the Congo, Suku people. Such helmet masks, generically called hemba among the Suku, were danced within the context of the nkhanda puberty ritual for young boys. Specifically, they performed within the seclusion of the initiation camp when important charms were shown to the initiates. The masks were also considered charms and believed to posses healing powers.
• Crucifix, Democratic Republic of the Congo or Cabinda, Kongo people. Crucifixes were introduced by Portuguese missionaries in the Kongo region as early as the seventeenth century. At first, these objects were faithfully copied from European prototypes but they would increasingly be transformed to conform to local styles and were quickly adopted by local ritual specialists and used for healing or to guarantee success in all kinds of undertakings. This Christian icon was readily integrated into traditional Kongo culture because it was visually similar to how the Kongo envisioned the world as a crossroads between the world of the living and the dead.
René and Odette Delenne
The Delennes began acquiring African art in the late 1950s and made their last important acquisitions in the late 1970s. Their enthusiasm for African objects was specifically triggered after seeing the Congolese exhibition at the 1958 World Fair in Brussels. René Delenne was a graphic artist specializing in book design. For a few years, in the mid-1960s, Odette Delenne (born Lemaître), ran a dealership of non-western art in Brussels. While the Delennes purchased a number of their Oceanic works during their travels to the Pacific, most of their African works were acquired from other collectors, dealers, and occasionally at auction, mainly in Belgium and France. (artdaily.org)
An exhibition in the spring of 2013 featuring the Delenne collection, along with a companion catalogue, is being planned to celebrate this acquisition, which puts the museum’s African art collection among the best in the United States.”A private collection with a personality and character of its own, and comprising artwork of exceptional quality, at once expands and elevates the Cleveland Museum of Art’s existing African collection,” explains Constantine Petridis, the museum’s curator of African art. David Franklin, director of the Cleveland Museum of Art elaborates,”These acquisitions bring our collection to a level equal to that of the country's finest African art holdings; while making it possible for us to develop new exhibitions and programs, and conduct new research in the field.”
The René and Odette Delenne Collection
The 35 objects acquired by the museum cover the scope and breadth of Congolese art in that it contains prime representations of most of the dominant styles found in the Congo Basin up to the midtwentieth century. The collection is also comprised of a strong core of objects from the Lower Congo region, inhabited by the Yombe, Vili and other Kongo-speaking peoples. Many works in the collection are distinguished by deep patinas indicating intense usage over a long period of time. However, these objects are quite intact and complete in terms of the preservation of their original accessories and accoutrements, such as feathers, animal hides and pelts and beaded decorations. Also included in the collection are two crucifixes which testify to the early contacts between that part of Africa and Europe, as well as a helmet-like mask from the Suku people of the Kwango-Kwilu region in southwestern Congo.
The René and Odette Delenne Collection is one of the oldest surviving Belgian private collections. The Delenne collection of Congolese sculpture has never been exhibited in its entirety and many objects remain unpublished, a situation that will be addressed by the upcoming exhibition and catalogue organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art. However, some of the artworks were included in two exhibitions which are generally recognized as landmarks in the field of African art, the 1970 exhibition Die Kunst von Schwarz-Afrika, organized by Elsy Leuzinger at the Kunsthaus in Zurich and the 1988 exhibition Utotombo, organized by a team of Belgian experts at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels.
Highlights from the Delenne collection include:
• Male and Female Figure Pair, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ngbandi people.A pair of figures like these stunning works most likely represents the founding ancestral couple of a community. Displayed near a shrine, or simply stored in the house of a husband and wife, such sculptures were believed to bring good luck and offer protection.
• Female Bowl-Bearing Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Luba people. Such bowl-bearing figures are among the most important accessories of royal diviners. The female figure is sometimes interpreted as the wife of the spirit by which the diviner is possessed during his divination session. In general, such sculptures belong to the category of mankishi or”power figures” that enable communication with the spirit world.
• Male Figure, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Songye people. An exquisite example of a Songye nkishi or”power figure,” this type of carving was used to deal with all kinds of human trials and tribulations. Assuring the figure’s effectiveness are the animal, plant or mineral ingredients that the ritual specialist assembles and inserts in one or more cavities, most often in the swollen abdomen, or in a horn planted in the skull. Such an implanted horn at once functioned as an”antenna” between earthly and heavenly realms.
• Male figure, Republic of the Congo, Beembe people. This large figure of the Beembe people is arguably the finest and most beautiful of two surviving carvings of this genre, the other being preserved at the Museum of Ethnology of the University of Zurich, Switzerland. The hairdo and beard suggest that this is the representation of a chief or at least a high-ranking male individual. It is believed that the figure belonged to a cult of the ancestors and that its responsibilities included assuring the protection and wellbeing of its owner
• Helmet Mask, Republic of the Congo, Suku people. Such helmet masks, generically called hemba among the Suku, were danced within the context of the nkhanda puberty ritual for young boys. Specifically, they performed within the seclusion of the initiation camp when important charms were shown to the initiates. The masks were also considered charms and believed to posses healing powers.
• Crucifix, Democratic Republic of the Congo or Cabinda, Kongo people. Crucifixes were introduced by Portuguese missionaries in the Kongo region as early as the seventeenth century. At first, these objects were faithfully copied from European prototypes but they would increasingly be transformed to conform to local styles and were quickly adopted by local ritual specialists and used for healing or to guarantee success in all kinds of undertakings. This Christian icon was readily integrated into traditional Kongo culture because it was visually similar to how the Kongo envisioned the world as a crossroads between the world of the living and the dead.
René and Odette Delenne
The Delennes began acquiring African art in the late 1950s and made their last important acquisitions in the late 1970s. Their enthusiasm for African objects was specifically triggered after seeing the Congolese exhibition at the 1958 World Fair in Brussels. René Delenne was a graphic artist specializing in book design. For a few years, in the mid-1960s, Odette Delenne (born Lemaître), ran a dealership of non-western art in Brussels. While the Delennes purchased a number of their Oceanic works during their travels to the Pacific, most of their African works were acquired from other collectors, dealers, and occasionally at auction, mainly in Belgium and France. (artdaily.org)
Picture of the Month June/July 2011
Cheetah, South Africa
Photograph by Frank Trimbos, My Shot
This Month in Photo of the Day: Animal Pictures
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