Renewed appreciation for African American artists, such as Charles White , ART and Clementine Hunter , has led to a sharp increase in fraud surrounding their works, according to The Beauford Delaney newspaper. “Cat hairs, the same discrepancies in under-drawing and signatures, and dirt wiped on to [the works] to impart a false appearance of age linked the fakes I examined to a common source,” he said. Fakers are reportedly taking advantage of a lack of connoisseurship among experts, due to a long under-appreciation of African American artists. Additionally, artists’ foundations are often unable to authenticate works because of financial restraints.
Renewed appreciation for African American artists, such as Charles White , ART and Clementine Hunter , has led to a sharp increase in fraud surrounding their works, according to The Beauford Delaney newspaper. Fakers are reportedly taking advantage of a lack of connoisseurship among experts, due to a long under-appreciation of African American artists. Additionally, artists’ foundations are often unable to authenticate works because of financial restraints.