Research, records key in art world
Penelope Jackson delves into art crime tales and shares vital tips for the art buyer and seller, writes Paula Green.
The author of Art Thieves, Fakes & Fraudsters: The New Zealand
Story suggests right from the outset that art villains do not resemble the glamorous film stars of art-heist movies. Penelope Jackson sheds increased light on some local art crimes that have hit the headlines and showcases some I have never heard of. That’s not surprising considering most art crimes are not reported to the police.
One of the surprising points was the limited degree of police follow-up – cases are rarely solved, priority is not assigned, punishment is slight. Criminal motivation ranges from political and financial greed to a hunger for fame or notoriety. Authentications of works are not always foolproof as several New Zealand institutions know to their cost.
Jackson has pursued all manner of research trails that have included local and international interviews, and detective work in galleries and auction houses, and in front of paintings. Each case, from Toss Woollaston and CF Goldie fakes to Robert-McDougall Gallery thefts, provokes different reactions in me.
The case of Edward Bullmore is particularly moving. His wife, Jacqueline, was deprived of his paintings and income from them by a devious family member. She ended up in a council bedsit with little money but managed to recover some works to donate to Tauranga Art Gallery.
A second story that gobsmacked me was Nelson painter Jane Evans telling the police that three paintings were not in fact done by her. The police response was that the culprit needed to be caught in the process of faking them. Nothing was done about it.
A third case challenged me. A New Zealand soldier bought six paintings in Italy at the end of the war which subsequently, in a rather knotty and calamitous story, ended up in Dunedin Public Art Gallery. When the paintings were on loan to an Italian Gallery they were found to be on a stolen artwork register. The key issue to navigate was what constitutes just behaviour. The solution was a compromise that worked as well as it could for all parties, yet it left me unsettled.
Jackson offers vital tips for the art buyer and seller; chiefly to do with diligent research and documentation. If you gift artwork to an art gallery, get a receipt. Michael Smither gifted works to the Govett-Brewster Gallery that can no longer be found. Be suspicious when an artwork lacks provenance. Photograph the front and back of artworks and keep images on a secure online site.
The book is absolutely fascinating – plus you get to see images of the works under discussion. Compare Goldie’s studio with that of Karl Sim, the infamous producer of fake Goldies or a fake Lindauer with a real one.