Fakes, fakes everywhere (ctd.)
October 20 2016

Picture: Art Daily
By way of a reminder that it's not just the Old Master world reeling from a faking scandal at the moment, The Art Newspaper reports that another Knoedler case has been partially settled. The former Knoedler director, Ann Freedman, has reached an agreement with casino boss Frank Fertitta over a fake Rothko, 'Untitled (orange, red, blue)' (above) bought in 2008 for $7.2m.
But another shocking part of the story is the fact that a Rothko scholar and museum curator, Oliver Wick, was paid $450,000 for his role in the sale. He said the picture was 'perfectly fine' and a genuine Rothko. The picture was exhibited at the museum where was a curator, the Beyeler Foundation in Switzerland. Did the cheque encourage Wick to think the picture was a genuine Rothko? Only he can tell us. Looking at the Foundation's website, I see that he's no longer employed there.