(Gainesville, GA) According to CNN.com, a piece of artwork was mistaken to be created by an artist during the French Revolution. The artwork is called “Two Hacks” and claimed to be created by George Stubbs in 1789. An art dealer, Archie Parker, bought the piece for $215,000 with a premium and is now selling it for $900,000 at the annual British Antique Dealers Association (BADA) Fair in London.
George Stubbs is an artist from Liverpool, United Kingdom. During the French Revolution, he is most commonly known for his painting Whistlejacket. “Never use anything from Wikipedia because the information could be not true. So try and find another quote but don’t end a paragraph on a quote. And a sentence after it to give more context.”
Since Two Hacks held similar aspects that would ring true with other works of George Stubbs, experts overlooked the fraud. Instead, the original piece was the one they considered to be the copy. They then sold “the copy” without careful examination in the “Living with Art” sale located in New York during June of 2016. This was the alternative to selling it in an “Old Master Sale”, where the paintings would be recognized as original pieces from famous artists.
Lucky for Parker, he realized the true work of Stubbs and purchased the painting. He told CNN that he spent weeks doing research to prove that it was actually a true Stubbs painting. Once he was finally convinced, he went to the sale in NY to gain this piece. He registered under his own name instead of his companies to not raise any “alarm bells”. However, three other bidders recognized the Stubb’s piece as well.
Parker was successful in outbidding his competition both on the phone and in the auction room. After the auction, he had the painting and the frame cleaned. Parker also believes that it is the first of the two versions by Stubbs, and is the source for a later etching done by Stubb’s son. This is the reason for the experts to become confused on its authenticity.
Leave a Reply