Photo: HANDOUT/Ontario Provincial Police/AFP via Getty Images
Eight people have been arrested in connection with a case police have called the “biggest art fraud in world history.”
At the same time, Ontario police haveseized more than a thousand forged paintings, prints and others arts — although they admitted “the total number” of forgeries “produced and sold is unknown.”
Detective Inspector Kevin Veillieux with Ontario provincial police said in the press conference that there were three different groups behind the fraud, each copying Morrisseau’s art style and releasing art in his name.
HANDOUT/Ontario Provincial Police/AFP via Getty Images
The investigation into the forgeries reportedly began after Canadian filmmaker Jamie Kastnercreated a 2019 documentary calledThere Are No Fakes, which spotlighted a lawsuit between Canadian Barenaked Ladies band member Kevin Hearn and the Maslak McLeod Gallery. This then delved into the fraud rings based in Morriseau’s hometown of Thunder Bay, according toThe Art Newspaper.
Hearn claimed that the gallery sold him a fraudulent Morrisseau painting, and while the case had been initially dismissed, he appealed and was eventually awarded over $41,000 in damages, per the publication.
Kastner toldThe Art Newspaperthat he believed there were “at least 3,000 more forgeries out there” but “a huge portion” of these “are easy to identify through a signature on the back in English,” whereas Morrisseau signed his work in Ojibwe as “Copper Thunderbird.”
Jeff Goode/Toronto Star via Getty Images
The estate of Norval Morrisseau has not yet responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment but didissue a statement on its websitein response to the case.
“The Estate of Norval Morrisseau is very aware of the issues surrounding his art and we will work to bring clarity, justice and confidence back to his collectors,” the statement said. “The Estate hopes the historic legal work being done on this matter will change the Canadian Art marketplace in a positive way for all parties.”
The estate also said that a legal contact had been created for people who have “inquiries on the suspected art fraud.”
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Thunder Bay police detective Jason Rybak echoed that statement in the press conference for the investigation, saying that people who were wondering “if the Morrisseau they have is authentic” should call a lawyer.
Norval Morrisseau was nicknamed the “the Picasso of the North” and was known for founding the Woodlands School of Art. His art depicted “the legends of his people, the cultural and political tensions between native Canadian and European traditions, his existential struggles, and his deep spirituality and mysticism,” according to his website.
source: people.com
