Free Republic

Miami – Today, a federal judge in Miami sentenced 43-year-old Philip Righter, of California, to five years in prison for running a scheme in which he tried to dupe prominent art businesses, including one South Florida gallery, into spending millions of dollars on forgeries of works by renowned contemporary artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat.   Ariana Fajardo Orshan, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.Righter’s scheme was this:  He would buy art forgeries at online marketplaces and auction...

Sent yesterday to Malkin and Breitbart. ORIGINAL FREEPER THREAD Do the Watusi: Art, imitation, and the Obamas By Michelle Malkin  •  October 8, 2009 05:49 PM Yesterday, we chuckled over the indecision-themed “word art” that the Obamas chose to hang in the White House.Today, a Free Republic poster notices another of the Obamas’ curious art choices: “Watusi (Hard Edge),” by Alma Thomas, who is described by the NYTimes as “a longtime Washington resident who is an African-American painter.” Alma Thomas’s “Watusi” (1963) looks to be an almost exact reproduction of a 1953 piece by Henri Matisse titled “L’Escargot:” Here they are side...

Damien Hirst has apologised unreservedly for congratulating the September 11 hijackers on a "visually stunning" work of art. Thanks to pressure from some New York art dealers no doubt - Ivan The British artist, famous for displaying animals in formaldehyde, said he was sorry if he upset families of the victims by calling the terror attacks "an art work in its own right". Proving yet again he wouldn't know real art if it bit his bum off. - Ivan He said on the eve of last week's first anniversary of the New York and Washington attacks: "Of course, it's visually...