California Man admits helping to create fake Basquiat Paintings
A former auctioneer has admitted he helped create and verify 25 fake Basquiat paintings that were seized from the Orlando Museum of Art last year, according to authorities.
Michael Barzman, 45, admitted in court papers filed on Tuesday that he and another man -- known only as J.F. -- created the paintings that were passed off as undiscovered works of trailblazing artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, according to a press release from the US Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
The fakes, some of which took just five minutes to create, were sold by the duo and made their way through the art market, authorities said.
The pieces formed the basis of an exhibition titled 'Heroes and Monsters' at the Florida gallery, which opened in February 2022. Four months later the FBI seized the fakes from the museum.
"Most of the featured works had, in fact, been created by [Barzman] and J.F.," Barzman admitted in his plea agreement, said the release.
On Tuesday, Barzman was charged in federal court with making false statements to the FBI during an interview in August.
Reaching a deal, he subsequently agreed to plead guilty to the felony offense and made a series of admissions about the scam, the release adds.
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