Newton and Hair forgeries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_forgery
"Art forgery is the creating and selling of works of art which are falsely credited to other, usually more famous, artists. Art forgery can be extremely lucrative, but modern dating and analysis techniques have made the identification of forged artwork much simpler."


Well, here we go with some serious forgeries of four Harold Newtons, and an Alfred Hair, offered on Liveauctioneers.com. I'd be very careful with a couple of the Backuses, as well, but I won't bury them. I'll let the market be the judge of those. I'm sure one or two are legit. That's the thing about this auction. There are some genuine Newtons, Hairs offered and mixed in with the phonies.

Now, this is a so-called seemingly reputable auction house in our state capital, doing business as Manor Auctions. They enjoy an enormous google presence and purport themselves to be expert in highwaymen art. Here is undeniable proof that they are not experts. ANYONE can claim expertise. ANYONE.

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE, PEOPLE. BE AWARE THAT THIS IS NOT REALLY UNUSUAL.

The run of fakes begin on page 7 of their catalog with this listing:
 Lot # 44123: Harold Newton Florida Highwaymen Seascape

Harold Newton Florida Highwaymen Seascape...

Manor Auctions

10:00 AM PT

Jun 2

0 Bids

Here is a link to their catalog. It is my hope that these fakes are removed before the sale date in the beginning of June.

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/40853_art-jewelry-timepiece-and-collectible-auction/page1

I'm posting four Harold Newton forgeries and one Hair. Do not bid on these. There is flat out no doubt that these are misrepresented.

 

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OK, I wrote this on Friday, but didn't post it.

Now it's Saturday and they have all disappeared from the listing, including ALL the Backuses. Apparently Manor Auction is reputable and has integrity.

Their claim of expertise, however, is questionable at best.

Here are the images. The first four are forged H Newton. The last one is forged A Hair.

 

If you find these paintings in your travels, BEWARE.