‘Cornish’ art conman jailed
A conman who destabilised the international art market by selling forgeries and fakes of renowned painter Norman Cornish’s work has been put behind bars.
Richard Pearson, of Thomas Street North, Sunderland, flooded the art world with paintings and drawings purported to be by”pitman painter” Cornish, who died in 2014.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the 56-year-old fraudster convinced the owners of a gallery in Corbridge, Northumberland, that he had access to a collection of Mr Cornish’s artworks through inheritance and a friend who wanted to sell his personal collection.
Pearson passed off a series of 14 drawings and pictures, which left the gallery owners who bought them, £52,500 out of pocket.
Four of the fakes were sold on to private collectors.
Mark Giuliani, prosecuting, said the gallery owners, private buyers, the Cornish family and the art world were all victims in this case.
He added: “There is a large number of victims. This activity destabilises the market.”
All of the artwork put into circulation by Pearson has been seized and will be destroyed by the police.
The court heard the conman forged receipts from a now closed gallery – dated from the 1960s, to give his fakes added authenticity.
But Pearson made a huge blunder with the receipts.
Mr Giuliani said: “It was instantly apparent is that, rather than being in pounds, shillings and pence it is in decimal pounds and pence.”
He said the telephone number on the document was also too long to be legitimate.
Pearson, who has previous convictions for dishonesty, pleaded guilty to nine charges of fraud, two of forgery and two of using a false instrument with intent between December 2011 and February 2014.
Judge Edward Bindloss sentenced Pearson to three years and seven months behind bars. Pearson will now be pursued by prosecutors under the Proceeds of Crime Act.