"What was supposed to be the end of a scandal involving family feuds, Indigenous exploitation and art market skullduggery was upended by allegations made by Cowan's lawyer that Morrisseau's estate was complicit in the forgeries."
"According to a court document Gorham shared with The Art Newspaper, the lawyer representing Cory Dingle and Gabor Vadas of Norval Morisseau Estate Limited, Jason Gratl, 'threatened defence counsel with a defamation action if counsel impugns the conduct of Gabor Vadas and the Morrisseau Estate in this proceeding' on 25 February, by way of a letter."
"On 26 February, Jonathan Sommers, an art fraud expert and lawyer who led investigations into the Morrisseau case for 17 years, provided the defence with an affidavit from John Zemanovich, his business partner and an expert in the investigation and examination of Morrisseau artworks, 'detailing evidence tending to prove that members of the Morrisseau family created and disseminated forgeries.'"
Jeff Cowan was convicted in November on four counts related to selling fake Norval Morrisseau paintings. His sentencing hearing in Barrie, Ontario was disrupted when his defense lawyer Nathan Gorham presented allegations that Morrisseau's estate participated in the forgeries. The estate's lawyer threatened defamation action against Gorham for questioning the estate's conduct. Gorham filed an application asserting absolute privilege for defense counsel. Art fraud expert Jonathan Sommers provided an affidavit from John Zemanovich containing evidence suggesting Morrisseau family members created and distributed forgeries, raising questions about estate involvement in the fraud scheme.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]