Using Statistical Analysis to Deconstruct Art

AUDIO: Listen as Dartmouth College Chairman Daniel Rockmore discusses his new mathematical tool for analyzing artwork, as heard on NPR's Morning Edition.

WASHINGTON — By integrating a passion for the arts with his background in mathematics, Dartmouth College department Chairman Daniel Rockmore has developed a computer program that deconstructs a work of art to determine whether a piece is consistent with a particular artist's style.

Rockmore began his research in 2001, when he met Nadine Orenstein, a curator of prints and drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She was organizing an exhibition featuring Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder - including pieces both attributed to the artist and others proven not to be. Rockwell used statistical sampling to scan and analyze digital images of the Bruegel works, matching certain characteristics to the artist's technique.

The mathematical tool isn't necessarily meant to identify forgeries, says Rockwell. Rather, it offers a new scientific method of delving into how a piece was created, ultimately deepening our art viewing experience.

[Source: NPR]
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Using Statistical Analysis to Deconstruct Art

Art Gallery of Alberta's Grand Opening

Top ART News Headlines for Friday, January 29, 2010

The Art Gallery of Alberta will open to the public on January 30, 2010. [Credit: ©Richard Lemermeyer]

The Art Gallery of Alberta's Grand Opening | EDMONTON — After ten years of planning, three years of construction and $88 million, Canada's 85,000-square-foot Art Gallery of Alberta will open to the public on January 30, 2010. The original building, known as the Edmonton Art Gallery, was designed by Don Bittorf in 1969; the new structure is the design of LA-based architect Randall Stout. "Environmental sustainability" was a major factor in the construction of the building, which also features a gift shop, restaurant and 150-seat theater. Ten thousand tickets were given away to the public for free admission on opening weekend. [Source: Canadian Architect]

Missing — The original House and Hills (1959) painting by Group of Seven artist A.J. Casson. [Credit: Barrie Art Club]

Painting Switcheroo Victims Want Their Original Back | ONTARIO — The Barrie Art Club is in a state of panic after discovering their prized House and Hills oil painting was stolen. When the Canadian Group of Seven artist A.J. Casson visited the Art Club in 1959, he not only conducted a painting workshop but created and gifted an original 9x12-inch work to the group. On Wednesday, police confirmed suspicions that the original in storage was switched out with a giclée (high-quality print) copy that had been made for display purposes. Authorities and group members are appealing to the public for help in locating their stolen treasure. [Source: The Barrie Examiner]

Exhibit Turns Modern Art Into Literal Rubbish | LONDON — British artist Michael Landy is curating a new exhibit by contacting his peers and asking them to donate art for his show. But the pieces won't hang on the walls at the South London Gallery. Instead, the artwork will be placed into a glass and metal Art Bin as big as a room; at the end of six weeks all of the artwork will be thrown away as trash. Modern Art is Rubbish is described by Landy as "a monument to creative failure." The show opened Thursday and so far holds fifty of Landy's own paintings, as well as others by well-known artists Tracey Emin, Peter Blake and Damien Hirst. Landy is accepting public contributions through March 14. [Source: Times Online]
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Art Gallery of Alberta's Grand Opening

Identify Forged Masterpieces at the V&A Museum

In 2003, Britain's Bolton Museum bought the Amarna Princess sculpture; it turned out to be a fake created by forger Shaun Grennhalgh and was seized by the Metropolitan Police Service’s Art & Antiques Unit in 2006. The sculpture is part of the new V&A exhibit. [Credit: V&A Museum]

LONDON — If it were genuine, the collection of masterpieces on view at the Victoria and Albert Museum would be worth $6.45 million. You expect to see authentic artwork when you visit a world-famous museum, but the unusual show at the V&A is celebrating the fine art of forgery. More than 100 fake works, including paintings once attributed to graffiti artist Banksy and sculptures not really by Barbara Hepworth, are part of the London museum's new exhibit  - The Metropolitan Police Service's Investigation of Fakes and Forgeries.

"This display will demonstrate that art crime is not just a topic for historic consideration. It reveals a situation very much alive and at the forefront of the art and antiques unit's priorities today," said Detective sergeant Vernon Rapley, head of the Metropolitan Police's art and antiques unit. "We hope that by highlighting some of the new techniques criminals use, we can educate people in what to look out for and encourage greater reporting of these crimes," Rapley told Sky News.

The fakes seized by the Metropolitan Police went on display for the first time on Saturday, and can be seen at the V&A through February 7.

Many of the works were created by one of most notorious forgers in British art history, Shaun Greenhalgh, while others were done by John Myatt and Robert Thwaites. Items like vintage typewriters and false stamps were used by the forgers to create letters, invoices and other fake documents of authenticity - all of which are also included in the exhibit.

[Click the video player for an exhibit preview]

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Identify Forged Masterpieces at the V&A Museum

Pop Artist Arrested for Tiger Woods Gatorade Stunt

A Colorado artist was arrested Wednesday for replacing Gatorade labels with his own "pop art" version; the labels feature a picture of Tiger Woods, his wife Elin Nordegren and the word "Unfaithful".

DENVER — "Good for Gatorade and good for art" - that's the pitch Colorado artist Jason Kay emailed to parent company PepsiCo before being arrested Wednesday. The 38-year-old Kay thought his "pop art" Gatorade labels would "get people talking about how stupid the whole thing with Tiger Woods is," but instead the artist faces a maximum of five years in prison and up to $450,000 in fines.

The unemployed Kay replaced the labels on one-quart bottles of Tropical Mango Gatorade with his own version; a picture of Tiger Woods, his wife Elin Nordegren and the word "unfaithful" printed in bold black capital letters. Kay then snuck the bottles back onto shelves at various stores in the Denver area.

According to an affidavit filed by the Food and Drug Administration, Kay told federal agents, "I didn't think this was a big deal." Kay compares the Gatorade bottle labels to pop art and claims the stunt was his attempt at emulating Andy Warhol. In fact, Kay was hoping to work out a partnership with the beverage firm wherein they would "participate unofficially (while denying this connection) by providing support to [Kay] for travel and per diem in various cities."

Gatorade was a major sponsor of Tiger Woods but ended their endorsement after news of the golfer's alleged infidelities broke in December. Kay has been charged with misbranding and altering food labels with intent to seriously harm a person's business.
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Pop Artist Arrested for Tiger Woods Gatorade Stunt

Alleged Con Sells Fake Picasso to Buy a Real De Kooning

A fabricated chalk drawing "La Femme au Chapeau Bleu" (1902) allegedly by Pablo Picasso was seized by the FBI. [Credit: FBI]

LOS ANGELES — An alleged con named Tatiana Khan could serve up to 45 years in federal prison for masterminding an art forgery scheme, according to a criminal complaint filed Jan. 7 by the FBI. Khan, the owner of the Chateau Allegré gallery in West Hollywood, is charged with paying an artist $1,000 to fabricate a 1902 Pablo Picasso pastel drawing entitled La Femme au Chapeau Bleu ("The Woman in the Blue Hat"); she then sold the piece to an unsuspecting art collector for $2 million.

The complaint maintains that Khan convinced an artist that the real Chapeau Bleu had been stolen from one of her clients and she needed a forgery drawn to be used in catching the thief. Khan later sold the fake for $2 million, by purportedly convincing an art collector that she was acting as a broker for the estate of late magazine publisher Malcolm Forbes. The art collector eventually contacted an expert who recognized the drawing as a copy.

The FBI reported that they also seized from Khan a painting by abstract expressionist artist Willem de Kooning, allegedly purchased with $720,000 of the proceeds derived from the sale of the fake Picasso drawing.
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Alleged Con Sells Fake Picasso to Buy a Real De Kooning

Before You "Buy It Now" - A Warning to eBay Art Collectors

Art dealer Michael Zabrin pleaded guilty on Tuesday to selling fake contemporary artworks on eBay.

CHICAGO — You can buy and sell just about anything on eBay, but scammers like art dealer Michael Zabrin reinforce and remind us all of the warning, caveat emptor.

Zabrin was among a group of seven charged with trading fake artwork in March 2008. According to a plea agreement filed Tuesday, Zabrin, a 57-year-old art dealer from Chicago, admitted to swindling at least 250 art collectors out of more than $1 million using his companies Fineartmasters and ZFineartmasters to sell counterfeit art prints over eBay. He pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and could receive up to 13 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 at the sentencing scheduled for March 23.

According to the Associated Press, when Zabrin needed more prints to sell, he would contact his sources in Spain and Italy. When he ran out of fake Pablo Picassos he would say, "I need some P's." When he needed bogus works by Roy Lichtenstein, he would say: "I need some L's." He has admitted to selling fakes by contemporary masters Picasso, Lichtenstein, Chagall, Miro and Dali.

Zabrin paid between $1,000 and $1,500 for each art print, which he then "resold at no less than three times his cost" to unsuspecting eBay buyers. Some customers who realized they'd been scammed returned the fakes, but Zabrin acknowledged that he simply waited a few months and just resold them to someone else.

Authenticity is perhaps the most crucial aspect of art collecting; this latest eBay fraud case only reinforces the importance of performing due diligence before you click "Buy It Now".

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Before You "Buy It Now" - A Warning to eBay Art Collectors

Police Seize Stash of Masterpieces Hidden by Disgraced Parma Dairy Owner

ROME —  The Italian police have recovered 19 masterpieces hidden in attics and basements of three apartments in the city of Parma. Valued at more than $149 million, the art stash belonged to Calisto Tanzi, the disgraced founder of the recently-collapsed dairy company, Parmalat Finanziaria SpA.

With the help of Tanzi’s relatives, the former billionaire was able to hide away an impressive trove of paintings by some of the world's most famous artists. On Saturday, police seized a pencil on paper portrait of a ballerina by Degas, two van Goghs, including a depiction of a trunk of a willow tree and a still life, a watercolor by Cezanne and a pencil-work by Modigliani. There was also a self-portrait by Italian rock star Ligabue and other masterpieces by Picasso, Monet and Manet.

Tanzi, who is currently on trial for fraud linked to Italy’s biggest bankruptcy, had previously lied to authorities by telling them he had no other assets. Police said that Tanzi was preparing to sell at least one painting. “We had some suspicions about a few individuals,” said Gerardo Laguardia, the Parma chief prosecutor. “We were able to tap their phones. We were lucky. We realized that there were negotiations to sell one of the paintings, the Monet.”

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Read More - Italy Police Seize Secret Stash of Masterpieces | AP

[Photo: Italian tax police officers hold a Giuseppe De Nittis painting, one of 19 masterpieces seized in Parma on Dec. 5, 2009. Courtesy AP Photo/Marco Vasini ]

Police Seize Stash of Masterpieces Hidden by Disgraced Parma Dairy Owner

Mysterious Letters: Art Project or Mail Fraud?

PITTSBURGH — "We intend to write to everyone in the world..." say artists Lenka Clayton and Michael Crowe on their website, Mysterious Letters.

Last week, 620 residents of the Polish Hill community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania received letters from Clayton and Crowe. Some were written on standard lined paper, some were on colorful postcards, and others were on materials like stickers, name tags and even a small saucer. But no matter what materials were used, each letter was hand-written and personally addressed by the artistic pair.

In April 2009, each of the 467 households in the small Irish village of Cushendall received similar letters.

But while some Polish Hill residents think the art project is an inspiration, others aren't so excited by it. One woman received a letter saying how nice she and her husband were, but the man had died and that made her uncomfortable. A local sculptor describe the project as "artsy-goofy" and "mysteriously pretentious." Some recipients were just plain confused by it all.

Crowe and Clayton spent about 10 hours a day over two weeks writing 70 letters each day. Their website explains, "We hoped these unsolicited letters would prompt neighborly discussion, spreading across the town, promoting community curiosity."

Like the reactions from the residents of Polish Hill, comments on the Mysterious Letters website vary from praise to accusations of mail fraud. All of the letters were photographed prior to their mailing and can be viewed at mysteriousletters.blogspot.com.

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Read More - Pittsburgh Mystery Letters Revealed as Art Project | AP

[Photo: Example of a letter sent to Polish Hill residents in Nov. 2009 by Lenka Clayton and Michael Crowe, courtesy mysteriousletters.blogspot.com]

Mysterious Letters: Art Project or Mail Fraud?

Garage Sale Picasso: Is a Two Dollar Purchase Worth Two Million?

SHREVEPORT -- Antique furniture, used clothing, old books...those are the typical garage sale offerings. Once in a while you even find an item worth bargaining for, and for just one dollar another person's trash becomes your treasure. For two dollars, you can have that painting in the cheap little frame, the one over there with the fake "Pablo Picasso" signature scribbled across the front of it.

That was the scenario at Edith Parker's garage sale - except in this case, the Picasso painting may be real. Parker, who resides in a Shreveport, Louisiana trailer park, inherited a pile of leftover junk from her recently deceased neighbor. She knew her neighbor was an art collector, but his family assured her the painting in the pile was just a fake. So Parker sold the item to Teisha McNeal for $2.

Most of us use the internet to find answers to our most curious questions; McNeal got home with her $2 purchase and curiously searched for it on the web. What she found led her to believe the painting was not only authentic, but stolen. While the FBI has since confirmed the work is not stolen, "They told me that it looks like an original," McNeal said in an interview.

Whether the painting is worth two dollars or two million remains to be seen, but maybe we'll all think twice before skipping out on our neighbor's next yard sale.

[Read More - Finding Art Treasure in the Trash | ABC News] 

* * * * * UPDATE * * * * *

10/29/2009 -- "Looks like an original" does not mean is an original. The Shreveport Times has reported that the $2 garage sale painting is NOT an authentic Picasso. "As far as we can tell, the painting does not appear to be an original," said Steve Hall, supervisory senior resident agent of the FBI's Shreveport office. "The dimensions of the print do not match the dimensions of the original Picasso painting."

The outcome isn't as surprising as it is disappointing. Still, you never really know what treasures you may find if you don't at least look...

[Read More - $2 Yard Sale Acquisition Spurs Frenzy of Calls | Shreveport Times] 
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Garage Sale Picasso: Is a Two Dollar Purchase Worth Two Million?

Fairey's Lawyers Drop Case After Obama "HOPE" Poster Artist Admits Lies

NEW YORK -- By now everyone is familiar with the iconic Obama "HOPE" poster, many have even used online generators to customize it with their own personal photos. Shepard Fairey didn't use such a generator to create his version - he used a paintbrush; and then the artist became embroiled in a legal battle over copyright infringement.

Shepard Fairey, designer of the original "HOPE" poster, said he based his artwork on an AP photograph of then-Senator Barack Obama seated next to actor George Clooney. But the AP asserted that Fairey's original painting was actually based on another photo taken at the same event, showing Obama seated alone.

Why does it matter which source image the artist referenced? Because Fairey did not pay for use of the copywritten photographs nor attribute them, claiming his artwork design complied with "fair use" regulations. After the AP sued Fairey for copyright infringement, the artist countersued in February, alleging his interpretation of Obama was dramatically different as it was based on the photo with Clooney.

But in a statement issued Friday, Fairey admitted, "...the AP is correct about which photo I used...and that I was mistaken. While I initially believed that the photo I referenced was a different one, I discovered early on in the case that I was wrong. In an attempt to conceal my mistake I submitted false images and deleted other images." Attorneys for Fairey have withdrawn from his case, saying the artist misled them.

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[Read more - Obama Poster Artist Admits Error | AP]

Fairey's Lawyers Drop Case After Obama "HOPE" Poster Artist Admits Lies

Art Collector Waives Insurance Policy for Stolen Andy Warhol Paintings

LOS ANGELES -- The LAPD would like to speak with art collector, Richard L. Weisman, the owner of 11 Andy Warhol paintings which he reported stolen from his home in early September.

That is, if they can track him down.

The elusive Weisman has apparently decided not to collect on his insurance policy for the missing fine art, estimated to be worth $25 million.

It seems unthinkable that anyone would settle for such a loss, but Weisman worries that an investigation would impose on his friends and family. "They turn you into a suspect," he explained, adding that he doesn't want his records being pored over by authorities.

Police say they do not have a suspect in the case as of yet.

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[Read More - Man Who Reported Stolen Warhols Waives Insurance | AP]

Art Collector Waives Insurance Policy for Stolen Andy Warhol Paintings