Gallery owner arrested for forged and stolen Ansel Adams photographs

[Pete Roody]

The gallery was a respected photo dealer in business since 1969. They were always at the AIPAD show in nyc.

https://aipad.com/Exhibitors/Galleri...alsted-Gallery

It just goes to show how far people can fall!


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[Merg Ross]

This unfortunate situation should not reflect poorly on Tom Halsted, who opened the gallery in 1969 as noted. Tom died in 2018 at the age of 81. He was a founding member of AIPAD, and also president. His daughter Wendy, apparently has taken the gallery in another direction.

[Pete Roody]

This unfortunate situation should not reflect poorly on Tom Halsted, who opened the gallery in 1969 as noted. Tom died in 2018 at the age of 81. He was a founding member of AIPAD, and also president. His daughter Wendy, apparently has taken the gallery in another direction.

Yes to be clear it was Wendy who was arrested. I met her at an AIPAD show about 6 years ago. She seemed genuinely enthused about continuing the business her father had started. Their exhibit was well represented with great prints. Obviously something changed with her.


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[jnantz]

What is the Nicephore Niepce print worth ?

[Serge S]

I read that book. It was fascinating how he perfected his process to doctor the paintings with the oven, etc. The thought was it a different period in his work - it was so ugly, it's hard to believe people fell for it. I guess it was greed.
The recent Basquiat fake was uncovered when the FedEx material it was painted on had the newer font that was not of the period - of the work

Art forgeries have been being made for centuries. It's only when the values rise up sky-high that a) it's worth the effort to forge a work, and b) it's worth the cost to track down a forgery. Conservators and image scientists don't come cheap. And of course conservation and image science are relatively new disciplines; until the recent past (and even today) the "connoisseur's eye" was how pictures and art works were authenticated.
The culture of the time plays a part, too; we as a culture see different things in an artwork at different times in history. There's a fine book by Edward Dolnick, "The Forger's Spell". It tells the story of Hans Van Megeeren, whose really terrible imitation Vermeers were widely accepted as real for many years. Yet looking at those forgeries today, none of us would think that they were by that mysterious Dutch master. So do your homework, friends, before you buy that "Adams" or "Weston".

[jnantz]

I read that book. It was fascinating how he perfected his process to doctor the paintings with the oven, etc. The thought was it a different period in his work - it was so ugly, it's hard to believe people fell for it. I guess it was greed.
The recent Basquiat fake was uncovered when the FedEx material it was painted on had the newer font that was not of the period - of the work

at least the guy in "leverage" knows what to do, he gets his info (while hiding out in a van with poached wifi ) from a web forum for forgers on the dark web

[John Layton]

Another thing is when an image gets appropriated without the owner's consent...as happened to me many years ago when I dropped into a "high end" gallery and there on the wall was a large oil painting - which, aside from having been crafted from a different media...was otherwise an exact (slightly cropped) facimile of a photo I'd had published a year before in Vermont Life magazine!

Realizing that the gallery owner might possibly have not been aware of this blatant rip-off...and thinking that had I complained then and there - the gallerist, possibly being protective of the artist, may have taken a negative stance to my complaint - I instead feigned interest in the work and told her that I was seriously considering a purchase, but could I possibly contact the artist on my own first?

At this point it could have been argued that I should have then called my lawyer - but instead I chose to phone the artist directly and give him a mild chewing out, saying that he should have at least gotten my permission first (which I'd certainly have given him). I then ended the conversation by telling him how flattered I had felt that he'd chosen my image, and to see this "re-created" as a truly nice painting!

[knjkrock]

After watching the video I wondered if the gallery owner substituted “ special edition” prints for the originals-
Estate authorized silver gelatin prints?

[Willie]

So, is this actually worse than Thomas Kinkade "Limited Edition" of over 34,000 of one painting - signed with ink with one drop of his blood in the vat so he can claim he signs them with his DNA?

[Vaughn]

After watching the video I wondered if the gallery owner substituted “ special edition” prints for the originals-
Estate authorized silver gelatin prints?

Those are limited to 8x10 prints. My guess since they were from 'gift shops' -- matted prints from the calendars...they were excellent reproductions, but still easy to tell they are not silver gelatin prints, as images on silver gelatin paper usually are not made of dots. I have a stack of the calendars...someday when I get too lazy to make my own anymore, I'll start matting up the calendars and giving them to my fellow inmates at the Home for the Feeble Minded.

Pretty crazy, but at the same time one wonders at the pressures to maintain one's lifestyle, prestige, personal/business/family names, and sense of importance. It is not a slippery slope...one steps off into a huge sinkhole.