Dec 12, 2007 7:10 am US/Central
Chicago Art Institute Duped By Fake Gauguin
Forgery Has Been At Museum For More Than 10 Years
CHICAGO (AP) ―
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The Art Institute displayed this sculpture, "The Faun," for more than a decade believing it was an authentic work by Paul Gauguin. But it turns out to be a forgery.
Art Institute of Chicago
A half-man, half-goat ceramic figure supposedly sculpted by 19th century French artist Paul Gauguin has delighted aficionados visiting the Art Institute of Chicago for a decade.
Problem is, "The Faun" is a fake.
"No one could think of any other instance in which anything like this happened here," the director of public affairs at the institute, Erin Hogan, told the Chicago Tribune for a story posted Tuesday on its Web site. "So we don't have experience in this area."
The museum revealed the sculpture is among scores of forgeries produced by the Greenhalgh family, which has been under investigation by authorities in Great Britain for nearly two years.
A private dealer bought the piece at Sotheby's in 1994 and the Art Institute purchased it from the dealer three years later.
A British judge sentenced Shaun Greenhalgh, 47, to four years and eight months in prison last month. His mother, Olive, 83, received a suspended term of 12 months, and his father, George, 84, was to be sentenced later.
Shaun Greenhalgh created the fakes, while his parents handled most of the sales. All three pleaded guilty earlier this year to defrauding art institutions and other buyers over a period of 17 years. They had also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to laundering the proceeds from the sale of a fake Egyptian statuette.
The creations by the Greenhalghs also included Assyrian stone reliefs, and several copies of paintings by American artist Henry Moran.
Hogan declined to reveal the purchase price of the now discredited artwork and said the Art Institute was talking with Sotheby's and the private dealer about possible compensation.
"Everyone who bought and sold (the work) did so in good faith," he said.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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