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August 12, 2021
- Droog Magazine periodical for investigative
journalism ![]() Intro | Watercolors | Works by same forger? (Berlin, 2019) Auction policies | Past "Hitler" auctions by AA
In the ever
continuing flood of clearly fake Hitler
watercolors offered by the Tallahassee
(Florida) based auction house "Affiliated
Auctions" (AA) we've spotted another four fake
Hitlers. Three of them are accompanied by
fraudulent Frank
P. Garo Certificates of Authenticity
(CoAs). Lot 1353: "Adolf Hitler aquarelle
Watercolor with CoA".
Source: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/108633019_adolf-hitler-aquarelle-watercolor-with-coa To
top
of page.
Description by auctioneer: "Adolf Hitler architectural landscape watercolor dated 1911 and signed in lower right corner. Depicts a white castle on a mountain. Measures 1 ft & 3/8 inches tall by 10 1/4 inches wide. In very good condition with some light non-distracting foxing. Comes with COA. Deemed authentic according to terms. Buyers premium 18%."
Source: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/108633023_1911-adolf-hitler-signed-architectural-landscape
Description by auctioneer: "1911 Adolf Hitler architecture landscape watercolor painting titled "Heiligenkreuz" signed and dated in bottom right corner. Depicts a small farm presumably in the village of Heiligenkreuz. In good condition, with some intermittent light foxing on the upper third of the painting. Measures 13 3/4 inches tall by 10 3/16 inches wide. Comes with COA. Deemed authentic according to terms. Buyers premium 18%." Source: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/108633024_1911-adolf-hitler-watorcolor-titled-heiligengreuz To top of page.Lot 1359: "Adolf Hitler Watercolor Depiction of a River. Start price about $350. Sold for $1,600. ![]() Click to enlarge. ![]() Description by auctioneer: "1911 Adolf Hitler Aquarelle watercolor depiction of a small house on a river. Measures 12 1/2 inches tall by 10 inches wide by itself; the top 20 percent of the watercolor is mounted to a paper backing which measures 16 3/4 inches tall by 13 9/16 inches wide. Yellow discoloration on former fold line from previous framing. Some original pencil sketching found on mountaintop. Deemed authentic according to terms. Buyers premium 18%." Source: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/108633025_1911-adolf-hitler-watercolor-depiction-of-a-river To top of page. On January 24, 2019 the police confiscated on suspicion of fraud three alleged Hitler watercolors, which were accompanied by Frank P. Garo CoA's. This happened at Auktionshaus Kloss in Berlin, Germany. When the police investigators researched these works they found clear evidence that the works weren't made in the 1910s, as the dates on the works suggested. Unfortunately, the police couldn't prove that the owner and the auctioneer knew that the works were fakes.
Which means that all these works probably
originate from one source. This doesn't necessarily
mean that they were made by the same forger: it's
throughout possible that the same forger painted a
Hitler signature on unsigned works made by several
unknown artists.
Sources: Bart FM Droog. Berlijnse politie doet inval
bij veilinhuis na onderzoek TPO over valse
Hitler-schilderijen. The Post Online,
Woerden, 24-01-2019. Christina Burack. Berlin police seize 'A.
Hitler' paintings on forgery suspicions at auction.
Deutsche Welle, 24-01-2019.
Affiliated
Auctions: “Descriptions are
not intended to be definitive and should be
thought of as opinions on the genuineness,
authorship, attribution, provenance, period,
culture, source, origin, or condition of the
property. No statement made in item leads,
descriptions, estimate or during the sale
should be considered an assumption of
liability or warranty. Lots of items that we
deem to be questionable in nature will be
described as “unauthenticated”. Usage of this
term does not imply anything other than our
opinion. Artworks described as a work by a
specific artist fall into our highest tier of
authenticity, however, no qualified statement
about the authorship is strictly implied.
Artworks described as “attributed to...” are
most likely, in our opinion, a work by the
artist but there is less certainty expressed
than in the terminology described above. (…)
The term signed by and/or dated by the artist
is believed to have been inscribed by the
artist's hand. The term bears signature
implies that the signature may have been added
by someone other than the artist. (...)
Autographs and autographed items are believed
to be authentic unless otherwise stated.”
To
top of page. Photos courtesy Affiliated Auctions. |
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