Reflected Heritage

The Art of Jane Loveall

by Georgianna Lane, for Fine Art Registry®

Jane Loveall always wanted to become an artist. Even when told there was no money or career as an artist, she was not deterred, knowing instinctively that what she could communicate through art would mean more than money ever would. From early on, she was fortunate to have the support and encouragement of her family, particularly her grandmother, Phyllis Richardson, who took a strong interest in Jane's work and framed her earliest efforts.

The loving legacy of Jane's grandmother continues to be a great influence today - Jane and her husband live in her grandparent's house, just three blocks from where Jane was born. And Jane's studio and gallery, Studio B, are located in a converted apartment behind the house. "The apartment was built in 1943," says Jane, "and the address number was 831B. So, to retain the heritage, I named it Studio B when I converted the apartment to an art studio."

Educating Herself to a Professional Level

"I took my first formal art class in seventh grade and proceeded to take every city-offered art class, summer school art classes and art classes in high school. I then entered college as an art major and graduated with high honors from California State University, Sacramento with a BA degree in Art and a teaching credential in art."

"I sold my first piece in high school, largely because one of my friends wanted to be able to say she bought my first artwork. I started selling my watercolors on a more consistent, professional basis seventeen years ago." Since then, Jane has sold over sixty works.

Read Jane Loveall's Entire Story HERE

Rembrandt Millennium Impressions – Article 4

(Please read Millennium Impressions Article #1, Article #2 and Article #3 before this one.)

Survey of the Market and Values of Rembrandt Etchings With Emphasis on the Millennium Impressions

In 1998, the publication of a new, modern edition of eight Rembrandt etchings was begun under the banner of the Millennium Impressions which continued successfully until August 2003. Confusion was later entered into the market through Park West Gallery's secret purchase and ownership of the eight copper plates in August 2003, Park West's misattribution of the publication of the etchings, their ceasing to number the prints in a supposed limited edition, and their manipulation of prices. Also photomechanically reproduced examples of some of the etchings have been seen at cruise ship art auctions, and "auctioneers" have also misrepresented the intrinsic and investment value of the etchings. It is therefore important to consider the fair market value and the investment potential of the eight Rembrandt etchings that comprised the Millennium Impressions.

by David Phillips, for Fine Art Registry®

Introduction

If you have read the previous three articles in this series (recommended before reading this one) you will have the background to the Millennium Impression Rembrandt etchings - eight different etchings printed from a set of Rembrandt's original copper plates in the late 1990s and, according to Park West, in use in printer Marjorie Van Dyke's printing press until 2008.

The provenance of these etchings has been obfuscated since the eight plates were bought by Park West Gallery, a Michigan based art dealer who sells mostly through art "auctions" on cruise lines but also through their website, through their operation at Jamaica resorts (Sandals), their "VIP events" and until recently through land based art "auctions".

These articles are designed to clarify these complications and give the collector or would-be purchaser an idea of the value of the Millennium Impression etchings.

Read the Entire Article Here

Rembrandt Millennium Impressions – Article 3

(Please read Millennium Impressions Article #1 and Article #2 before this one.)

Park West and the Millennium Impressions/Edition

or
"You can fool all the people some of the time,
and some of the people all the time,
but you cannot fool all the people all the time."
(attributed to Abraham Lincoln)

Park West responded to articles #1 and #2 in this series by building a whole new website in which they confess, after all these years, when they had no way out of it, that they have owned the eight copper plates which had been used to print the Millennium Impressions and Park West's later version, the Millennium edition all along. The question is, why have they pretended otherwise about this for so long? Why are they now, for the first time, calling them the "Millennium Impressions" after spending so much time and effort to change the name to Millennium editions (another point made in the earlier articles)? There are other questions...

by David Phillips

Introduction

Very soon after we published Millennium Impressions Article #1 The Millennium Impressions - Recent Posthumous Etchings Made from Eight Rembrandt Copper Plates and Article # 2 Park West Gallery Buys Eight Rembrandt Copper Plates and Conceals their Ownership. Why the Secrecy? Park West Gallery put up an entire website devoted to the Rembrandt etchings which they sell. On this new website, for the first time, they admitted that they own the copper plates from which the etchings are pulled. Not much choice there - after all, we published documents which proved it. However, it produced quite a reaction amongst auctioneers who had been told for years that the plates were not owned by Park West Gallery who then passed this information on to auction attendees as part of their sales pitch.

Park West also quickly changed the name from Millennium edition, which is what they have been using since 2003, to Millennium Impressions, the trademark coined by Intaglio Etchings Ltd. when Intaglio Etchings Ltd. began marketing and selling the eight Rembrandt etchings in 1998.

While they may think that this neatly ties up all the loose ends and leaves Park West smelling like a rose, there are some very obvious questions which have been studiously ignored, and some less pleasant odors left hanging about in the air.

Lest anyone is coming in late on the scene and has missed some of the background, we thought it only fair to ask those questions here.

Read the Entire Article Here

Park West Gallery, Fake Dali Print, Fake Dali Signatures

$22,000 worth of art sold by Park West Gallery aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and at a land auction was recently examined by two world renowned Dali experts. The verdict? One of the prints is a fake print with a fake signature. The other is a genuine print with a fake signature. Total value? $0.00.

FIRED! FOR CARING FOR CUSTOMERS?

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Ltd. gets rid of Customer Relations Exec after she tries to take action to prevent Park West Gallery from repeatedly ripping off customers on board Royal Caribbean ships. The ex-Customer Relations Exec, Samantha Algar, talks to Teri Franks, CEO of Fine Art Registry about the events surrounding this surreal incident.

Divine Comedy, Divine Tragedy, Divine Farce - The Saga Continues

Divine Comedy Sets Compared

This is a follow-up to the Fine Art Registry video entitled Divine Comedy? Divine Tragedy? Or Divine Farce? The Great Park West Dali Half Million Dollar Swindle which should be watched before this video so that this one can be better understood and followed. Two world-renowned experts in the work of Salvador Dali, Frank Hunter of the Salvador Dali Archives Ltd. in New York and Nicolas Descharnes from Paris, compare a near mint set of Divine Comedy Prints recently sold by Sotheby's, to the set of Divine Comedy Prints sold by Morris Shapiro of Park West Gallery to Sharon Day and Julian Howard. They find a number of inconsistencies in addition to fake signatures in the Park West set and confirm their earlier opinion that the set sold to Sharon Day and Julian Howard for close to half a million dollars was misrepresented, has fake signatures and is worthless.

Salvador Dali Fakes #7

Park West Gallery and Bernard Ewell Salvador Dali Blue Unicorn Blues

Bernard Ewell, Park West's Dali expert of choice, pronounces a Dali print given to a Park West employee in lieu of payment, to be an out and out fake with a forged signature. But Park West asserts they have never sold a fake piece of art.

A Park West Gallery employee, who, for fear of retaliation shall remain nameless, was working in the "basement" at Park West Gallery in Southfield Michigan. He wanted a couple of Park West prints but could not afford them. He went over this with his boss who arranged for him to do some extra work, in exchange for which he would be given a print instead of payment.

He did the work which he estimates to be about $1,000 - 1,500 at the time and, sure enough, was allowed to choose a print as his reward instead of being paid money. In fact, he was allowed to choose two prints.

One of the prints he chose was The Blue Unicorn by Salvador Dali, hand-signed in pencil by the artist. This was quite something!

Years went by and he read some articles about Dali fakes and began to wonder if his print might be a fake.

He tried several times to obtain a certificate of authenticity from Park West Gallery for the print. None was forthcoming.

Here follows a portion of a letter from this ex-employee to Morris Shapiro, Gallery Director, which Shapiro never answered.

Dear Morry:
....
My question now is the Blue Unicorn an authentic Dali lithograph? I never received any proofs of authenticity and would like to sell both lithographs. I feel I can’t honestly sell either one until I know for sure that they are in fact authentic lithographs. I hope you can understand the situation and address this dilemma as soon as possible.

Then, by coincidence, he read in the local Detroit paper that a Dali appraiser was going to be in town and available at a local gallery to authenticate people's Dalis. This appraiser was none other than Bernard Ewell. At the time he had not begun working for Park West Galleries. For a fee of $100 anyone could bring their Dali in to the local gallery and have Bernard Ewell look at it and pronounce judgment.

Our ex-Park West employee took the opportunity to get his print examined.

What did that eminent expert find?

Well, the full report is available in PDF form at the end of this article but the meat of it is here:

INTRODUCTION:

At the request of Mr. XXXXX XXXXXXX I examined the print described below at DuMouchelle Auction House in Detroit. My assignment was to discern all the clues the print offered as to authorship, authenticity, and value.

Upon return to my office in Colorado, I researched, with the assistance of Director of Research Kristine Betts, the artist’s career, market, and recent sales of his works as well as publication history of the subject print.

DESCRIPTION:

After Salvador Dali (Spanish 1904 - 1989) "Blue Unicorn", screenless photo-offset lithograph with gold ink on Arches paper, framed and matted; 48.3 X 59 centimeters; numbered in pencil lower left - "194/300"; signed in pencil lower right - "Dali"; watermark upper right - "Arches France" (and infinity symbol).

Excellent condition with exception of very small nick in surface lower left.

CURRENT FAIR MARKET VALUE: negligible

COMMENTARY:

"Blue Unicorn" as a print is a fake with a forged signature [emphasis added]. The original artwork on which it is based is Salvador Dali's "Happy Unicorn" oil painting on copper completed in 1977 and held in a private collection. The print is one of many fakes produced by Gilbert Hamon of Paris.

The watermark in the paper contains an infinity symbol. This was added to the watermarks of all papers manufactured by Arjomarie paper mill in France in 1980 and after. Dali signed no prints or paper for prints after December 1979.

....

The full report with only the name of the owner obscured, is available in PDF form at the end of this short article.

The owner said that he had asked Bernard Ewell at the time if he had heard of Park West Gallery. "He didn't know much about them but the attitude I got from him was that he didn't want to deal with them. He said right away that it was a fake." And he further comments, "At the time it seemed as if he didn't want to have anything to do with them and then all of a sudden he's working there?"

It was some time after that that Bernard Ewell started working with Park West.

And what of the print? The owner sold it as a fake for $138 on eBay.

So much for Albert Scaglione and Park West Gallery's oft-repeated claim that they have never sold a fake piece of art. Either their expert doesn't know what he is talking about, or they lie.

So much for Bernard Ewell's oft-repeated confidence that the current litigation is going to vindicate him and Park West Gallery completely.

What is the judge going to make of this?

Read the Bernard Ewell Appraisal (PDF)

Read More Here