Fake goods, no matter at what end of the scale they are placed at or what price tag they have, remain fake goods. This means that Trading Standards are going to take an interest if these products are sold in their jurisdiction. Whether the product is an imitation piece of clothing or something which claims to be a high class piece of art, fake goods are a market that is being closely monitored and acted upon by authority figures.
An art dealer based in Cornwall has been told that he faces a possible jail sentence after he sold two pieces, reportedly by world famous painters, but which were actually cheap and modern imitations. David Carter, who ran an art gallery close to art hub in St Ives in Cornwall purchased imitation artwork pieces from artists such as John Brett and Alfred Wallis. Wallis is a local artist and his work on local fisherman is highly regarded in the local area. It was an image of Wallis that led to Carter being caught after suspicions were raised over the veracity of the painting.
Art seller could face jail
Carter had been due to appear at the Crown Court in Truro on he admitted seven counts of fraud. It is not yet known who the actual artist who did the work is and there are fears that there may be other pieces in the local area which people believe to be genuine but which are actually false. With Carter snapping up the paintings for as little as £300, there was an opportunity to make a large profit in a short period of time. Carter had developed a strong reputation in the local art community, so there was a lot of trust with respect to what he offered.
Alex Greenwood represented the prosecution in court and she said that suspicion was started by Carol Gasser who purchased what turned out to be a fake painting back in March of 2011. Gasser spent £5,000 on the piece Boast Leaving Newlyn Harbour. In court Greenwood said; “She attended his gallery and the defendant directed her attention towards a piece of work by Wallis. The defendant represented the work as genuine and said he could prove its provenance. Two days later she bought it for £5,000.” After a few months, Gasser presented this picture to an auctioneer who raised doubts about the authenticity of the piece and this was when Gasser got Trading Standards involved. At the time, Carter had another piece on offer on his website, which he stated was an original by Alfred Wallis. This was priced at £60,000 and was referred to as “a superb painted object, the most superb and tactile piece of work by Wallis we have ever seen” and set the price at £60,000.
Carter had actually bought the item when he was at an auction, paying just over £300 for it. Trading Standards had the picture examined by an expert who referred to it as “marine bric-a-brac.” Carter had also passed off a sailing boats picture as being the John Brett work The Fishing Fleet, St Ives.
In summing up, Judge Christopher Harvey Clark QC did not rule out a prison sentence for Carter, saying; “The defendant put the paintings up for sale at prices that would have been appropriate if they had been genuine paintings with provenance. I want you to understand that all sentence options remain open. The serious nature of this fraud is something I will have to take into account.”
Buyers need to be beware when buying art
Gasser was present when Carter admitted fraud, said at the conclusion of the case; “He never told me he thought the painting I bought wasn’t original. I wouldn’t have bought it if he did. I wouldn’t buy a fake. A couple of months later I showed it to a friend of mine who suggested it could be a fake. I was disgusted. I believed him as he said he had a letter proving its authenticity. Because of that I took him at face value.”
Cornwall Trading Standards were also involved with the case and Nigel Strick of the organisation said; “We are delighted that the defendant has admitted guilt in this matter. The scale of the frauds was quite breath-taking at times.”
With this sort of crime representing a good chance to make quick and easy money, it is clear that it will become more of a risk, especially as technology improves allowing people to create more realistic forgeries. This is why there is a need for solicitor teams to acquaint themselves with this style of case and how best to represent any client that is involved with this style of case.
Andrew Reilly is a freelance writer with a focus on news stories and consumer interest articles. He has been writing professionally for 9 years but has been writing for as long as he can care to remember. When Andrew isn’t sat behind a laptop or researching a story, he will be found watching a gig or a game of football.
