A two-part documentary revisits the sale of disputed paintings by the celebrated painter Brett Whiteley and the people caught up in the scandal.
It’s 35 years since Brett Whiteley painted the large canvases known as Big Blue Lavender Bay and Orange Lavender Bay in his studio in Sydney. Alternatively, it’s 16 years since conservator Mohamed Aman Siddique painted them in his studio in Melbourne, and almost as long since art dealer Peter Gant passed them off to unsuspecting buyers as the real deal, fetching $2.5 million and $1.1 million respectively.
And now that long, complicated and ultimately unresolved history is revisited by writer-director Yaara Bou Melhem and producer Ivan O’Mahoney in the compelling two-part documentary series“We wanted to do a story in the true crime genre with an art twist. From a storytelling perspective, that was really interesting to us,” says Melhem, who has raked over the coals of this fascinating tale of alleged art fraud and brought it to blazing life.
Yet, for all of that, these paintings could emerge into and remain suspended in that netherworld of uncertain provenance and authenticity. The last recorded value of the orange painting, the series reveals, was $15,000. The blue one, for which Sydney Swans chairman Andrew Pridham paid $2.5 million in 2009, was donated to the art department of the University of Melbourne, where its main function seems to be to occupy a significant chunk of precious storage space.
It’s not an easy question to answer. Fine art expert Robyn Sloggett suggests that as much as 10 per cent of the works held in collections could be of questionable authenticity. But her expert testimony at trial was shredded by the defence, and dismissed by the judge, who urged the jury to acquit . Wendy Whiteley is interviewed in The Whiteley Art Scandal about the authenticity of several paintings attributed to her late husband, Brett.“If a complaint comes to a police station, it’s dealt with internally at that particular police station rather than being sent to a central office that has a record of where these are all happening, and who’s making the complaints, and what work is being complained about, following a chain of where it was sourced from.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘I want to go home to the Broncos’: Inside Walsh’s plea to leave the WarriorsThe Warriors are the feelgood story who gave a once-in-a-generation talent his top grade debut. But they knew they couldn’t stand in Reece Walsh’s way when it came to the Broncos.
Read more »
‘I want to go home to the Broncos’: Inside Walsh’s plea to leave the WarriorsThe Warriors are the feelgood story who gave a once-in-a-generation talent his top grade debut. But they knew they couldn’t stand in Reece Walsh’s way when it came to the Broncos.
Read more »
‘I want to go home to the Broncos’: Inside Walsh’s plea to leave the WarriorsThe Warriors are the feelgood story who gave a once-in-a-generation talent his top grade debut. But they knew they couldn’t stand in Reece Walsh’s way when it came to the Broncos.
Read more »
Nostalgia-dripped architecture: Inside a rare mid-century marvel homeThis suburban gem has been a sanctuary for a photographer and her growing family, who added a respectful renovation, lush garden and her own art.
Read more »
He sold his tech firm for $850m, so why did Chris Strode start again?After making his, fortune the Aussie entrepreneur started buying up rundown motels, but a new tech idea caught his interest and he is back on the tools.
Read more »
Robb leads charge for Dubbo as rivalry resumes at NarromineBrett Robb is taking his most talented team yet to Tuesday’s feature Narromine meeting. But there will be a familiar foe facing him.
Read more »