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Old Masters Valued at $250M Could Be Fakes, Comic Strip Art Sets Records, and More Fresh News

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
Photo of Frans Hals’ (1582/1583-1666) oil-on-canvas portrait of a man with a tassel collar, painted circa 1660. In 2008, this painting was banned from export by French authorities to give The Louvre the chance to organize funding for its purchase. The attempt was unsuccessful, and the painting was sold in the United States in 2011. Image is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries, including the USA
Frans Hals’ portrait of a man with a tassel collar, painted circa 1660. In 2008, this painting was banned from export by French authorities to give The Louvre the chance to organize funding for its purchase. The attempt was unsuccessful, and the painting was sold in the United States in 2011. Public domain image

News and updates from around the arts and auction community:

  • It could be the biggest art scandal in a century, and few of the art world’s leading lights want to talk about it, but a haul of apparent forgeries by the “Moriarty of fakers” could end up costing investors $250 million. [Read more from DailyMail.com]
  • Americans are not the only aggressive buyers of original comic strip art. Four world records for comic art were set this week in a Hong Kong auction. [Read more from Art Daily]
  • An Arca-Swiss 4-by-5 view camera that Ansel Adams used between 1964 and 1968 will be auctioned on October 27. Together with a tripod, lenses and other accessories, it’s expected to sell for around $70K. [Read more from the Associated Press via the Washington Post]
  • A piece of Mt. Everest rock is expected to crest the $30K mark when it’s auctioned in New Zealand this week. The mounted and framed rock display is signed by Sir Edmund Hillary, his son Peter Hillary, and the grandson of the sherpa who was with the elder Hillary when he first reached the top of Everest. [Read more from the New Zealand Herald]

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