Painter Said to Be Focus of FBI Probe (Thomas Kinkade)

Los Angeles Times ^ | August 29, 2006 | Kim Christiensen

[Cecily]

The FBI is investigating allegations that self-styled "Painter of Light" Thomas Kinkade and some of his top executives fraudulently induced investors to open galleries and then ruined them financially, former dealers contacted by federal agents said.

Investigators are focusing on issues raised in civil litigation by at least six former Thomas Kinkade Signature Gallery owners, people who have been contacted by the FBI said.

ADVERTISEMENTThe ex-owners allege in arbitration claims that, among other things, the artist known for his dreamily luminous landscapes and street scenes used his Christian faith to persuade them to invest in the independently owned stores, which sell only Kinkade's work.

"They really knew how to bait the hook," said one former dealer who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case. "They certainly used the Christian hook."

Kinkade has denied the allegations in the civil litigation.

Two former dealers told the Los Angeles Times that they had been asked to provide documentation of their business relationships with Kinkade's company. They said agents asked for copies of dealer agreements, retail sales policies, training materials from "Thomas Kinkade University" and correspondence, including e-mail.

[Xenalyte]

My tacky-meter just redlined. Why ARE their eyes shaped like raindrops?

[SlowBoat407]

What is the timeline you are referring to in the world of art appreciation? How valuable were originals worth when sold versus following the death of the artist?

The value of the originals has very little to do with the value of endless prints run off and marketed as limited editions. These prints are individually treated as very valuable, but in reality are barely worth the media used to print them, because there are so many.

[ELS]

That photograph is unaltered.

Wow!

[martin_fierro]

Pfft.

Needs a Happy Little Cabin™ in there.

< |:)~

[AnAmericanMother]

As I noted earlier, Kinkade has problems drawing a human figure. He also has serious trouble with animal anatomy. An example:

The horse (especially the horse, but also the guy at the front door, now that I look at him) is way out of drawing. The legs are attached to the horse incorrectly and the neck is wrong, and horse's heads don't look like that. (He also doesn't know how to draw a horse collar, or a sleigh harness, but that's a technical matter imperfectly researched.)

[ecurbh]

My favorite is not a painter, he's a photographer, Galen Rowell (1940-2002)

Galen Rowell was a major influence on my own interest in photography. I love his work.

[fishtank]

Clarify.

I own not a single Kinkade.

I am ambivalent to him.

I posted the artwork as an example so people would know who the article is about.

[hellinahandcart]

There is one original Kinkade oil, 12"x16", on Ebay right now. It is priced by the seller at $125,000 (such a deal). It was appraised at $135,000 by, surprise, Kinkade Galleries. :D

There is currently one bid on it. I don't know what the bid is, because I'm not registered there, but smart money says "lower than $50,000".

If you just search on "Kinkade oil" and sort high-price to low, you get a load of the "limited edition signed and numbered oil canvases" ranging in price from around $800-2200. Only one has a bid on it.

Then there appear to be a whole bunch of ripoff "Kinkade reproductions" coming out of Asia for about $30. He does need to sue this outfit.

[AnAmericanMother]

Darn . . . the Precious Moments website must automatically trash links.

Here's another from an intermediate source though. It ought to break your tacky meter off at the spring:

And it does seem appropriate for an Art Thread, doesn't it? < gag >

[Verloona Ti]

I like this one the best:

But this one has a certain charm too:

[bonfire]

That is so awful, it's funny!

[dighton]

Ceci n’est pas une Kinkade

(Magritte, The Empire of Light)

[leilani]

Precious Momentonians? You're so very right - no hope for them ever renouncing their kitschian ways. Pull them out of line at the airline counters, stick 'em in Guantanamo & throw away the key! Let the ACLU bleat all they want; those dust-bunny loving tchotchkeites gave up their right to due process the day they decided to bring their filthy, uncivilized clutter-worshipping ways to these shores!

[gura]

see chimmney smoke

Maybe it's the water heater? (just joking)

He's burning evidence in the fireplace.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

An LASlimes hit piece on Christians?

[Xenalyte]

To avoid even the possibility of seeing that again, I will now gouge out my eyeballs and eat them.

[AnAmericanMother]

There was another Kinkade thread awhile ago where somebody posted some of the SomethingAwful.com parodies.

I just adore the Cthulu-Eating-the-Lighthouse.

My daughter is a big Lovecraft fan. I showed it to her and she fell out laughing.

[AnAmericanMother]

Mais oui.

[Verloona Ti]

Have you ever heard of The Precious Moments chapel? it's here in my own state of MO (Carthage, to be precise...as if a bloody civil war battle there wasn't bad enough). It is filled with Biblical stories told with characters painted in the Precious Moments style.Here is a picture to give you an idea of what that looks like:

I can't find a jpeg of God as a Precious Moments character, or I would have posted it. Sorry! :-(

[Xenalyte]

We're getting this thread so riled up, the Poster Who Must Not Be Named will be along soon to call us racist and ask who's gonna pick the corn in those pictures?