Norval Morrisseau Prints

Norval Morrisseau Prints

FAMILY OF BEARS

By Norval Morrisseau
Date: 1963
Size: 10 x 16 (sight when framed)
Open Edition
Printer: Oxford Picture Frame Company Limited
Publisher: Pollock Gallery


Verso document



MORE LAWSUITS PENDING OVER FAKE NORVAL MORRISSEAU ART

PUBLISHED BY: TBNEWSWATCH 
AUTHOR: GARY RINNE 
DATE: JUNE 2021

Original article here
 
Lawyer Jonathan Sommer wants to hear from others who want to join an action.

THUNDER BAY — An Ontario lawyer is contemplating a lawsuit – or multiple lawsuits – on behalf of victims of a Norval Morrisseau art fraud based in the Thunder Bay area.

Jonathan Sommer was the initial trial lawyer in a suit filed by Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn against a Toronto art gallery.

Hearn had alleged that a work he purchased in 2005 was counterfeit.

In 2018, the Superior Court justice who heard the case said "I do not doubt the existence of a Thunder Bay-area fraud ring and the circulation of fraudulent paintings there."  

However he dismissed Hearn's claim that the work he purchased was a fraud, stating that the burden of proof had not been satisfied.

In 2019 the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that the art gallery had breached a contract with Hearn when it sold him the Morrisseau painting with questionable provenance documents.

“With respect to the provenance statement, Mr. [the late Joseph] McLeod made a false representation, either knowing that it was false and without an honest belief in its truth, or he made the statement recklessly without caring whether it was true or false, with the intent that Mr. Hearn would rely upon it, which he did, to his personal loss,” the ruling stated.

McLeod’s estate was ordered to pay Hearn $50,000 for breach of contract and breach of the Sale of Goods Act, plus punitive damages of $10,000.

Morrisseau, who was born in the Thunder Bay district in 1932, originated the Woodland School of Indigenous art.

He died in 2007.

Sommer told TBNewswatch there may be a few thousand fake Morrisseau paintings.

That's based partly on the copious amounts of art supplies that were purchased in the Thunder Bay area by members of the fraud ring.

Sommer believes most of the counterfeits are in private hands, but some are in public collections, while others are still available for sale in various commercial galleries.

He notes that in the early 2000s, Morrisseau had his lawyers prepare several sworn declarations in which he identified a large number of paintings that bore his signature, but which he insisted were not by his hand.

Sommer said that, for galleries or other sellers, the court of appeal ruling means that if provenance is not accurate when they sell a piece, they may be liable "not just the price to return the painting but also the loss of investment value, and you can be punished with punitive damages."

He said he already has several clients who believe they are victims of the fraud and want to be part of a larger effort to seek redress and to see the wrongdoers punished.

Now he's reaching out to other individuals who may be wondering if the Morrisseau piece they own is a fraud.

Sommer's website lists several questions owners may want to ask about their purchase, notably whether it's signed on the back with a black drybrush signature, which he calls "a red flag."

In 2019, a documentary on the Thunder Bay fraud ring was promoted as the uncovering of the largest art fraud in Canadian history.

Producer Jamie Kastner described the defiling of a great Canadian artist, and "horrible abuse of Indigenous people."

Sommer, who has seen Kastner's There Are No Fakes, said the fact that much of it is focused on racism and exploitation is entirely appropriate under the circumstances.

A spokesperson for Ontario Provincial Police said Monday that the OPP and the Thunder Bay Police Service continue to jointly investigate an alleged fraud scheme related to Norval Morrisseau paintings.

The spokesperson said no other information can be provided while the investigation is ongoing.

THERE ARE NO FAKES SOUNDTRACK ALBUM BY Kevin Hearn

 

THERE ARE NO FAKES ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
BY
KEVIN HEARN


From award-winning musician Kevin Hearn comes the soundtrack to the 2020 documentary There Are No Fakes, a journey into the largest art fraud scam in Canadian history. 

Musician Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies buys a painting, “Spirit Energy of Mother Earth,” attributed to Norval Morrisseau, the Ojibway painter widely recognized to be the world’s first Indigenous art star. When Hearn develops doubts about the painting’s authenticity, he finds himself in the middle of a legal feud between two warring factions of white people, each claiming to be the true defenders of Morrisseau’s legacy.







A behind the scenes look at Kevin Hearn and Hugh Marsh working on the score for THERE ARE NO FAKES . In this scene we see them working on the musical cue for The Money River. Kevin chats with director Jamie Kastner. 

This was filmed and edited by Michael Hannan. 
 ( Courtesy of Cave 7 productions)

TEACHING THE YOUNG

By Norval Morrisseau
Date: 1988
Size: 22 x 30
Limited Edition of 150
Printer: EA Studios

BEAR CYCLE AROUND THE SUN

By Norval Morrisseau
Date: 1977
Size: 10.5 x 17
Limited Edition of 45
Printer: Triple K Cooperative Inc.

ASTRAL CHILDREN (1980)

By Norval Morrisseau
Date: 1980
Size: 19 x 26
Limited edition of 92
Printer: ALVO Canadian Art Inc.

THUNDERBIRD MAN

By Norval Morrisseau
Date: 1975
Size: 36 x 28
Limited Edition of 99
Printer: INFO REQUIRED

WINTER (PLATE)

WINTER
By Norval Morrisseau
Date: 1982
Hard paste porcelain plate
Size: 9.75 inches in diameter
Limited Edition of 2500
Plate maker: Rosenthal


WINTER( verso)

Each art plate was individually inspected and hand signed by Norval Morrisseau. In addition, each plate was hand numbered in gold and was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Each plate measures 9 ¾ inches in diameter, features a hand painted 24 karat gold border and was produced to the exacting standards of Rosenthal.


Packaging

Certificate of Authenticity

FALL (PLATE)

FALL
By Norval Morrisseau
Date: 1982
Hard paste porcelain plate
Size: 9.75 inches in diameter
Limited Edition of 2500
Plate maker: Rosenthal


FALL (verso)

Each art plate was individually inspected and hand signed by Norval Morrisseau. In addition, each plate was hand numbered in gold and was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Each plate measures 9 ¾ inches in diameter, features a hand painted 24 karat gold border and was produced to the exacting standards of Rosenthal.


Packaging

Certificate of Authenticity

SPRING (PLATE)

SPRING
By Norval Morrisseau
Date: 1982
Hard paste porcelain plate
Size: 9.75 inches in diameter
Limited Edition of 2500
Plate maker: Rosenthal


SPRING (verso)

Each art plate was individually inspected and hand signed by Norval Morrisseau. In addition, each plate was hand numbered in gold and was accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. Each plate measures 9 ¾ inches in diameter, features a hand painted 24 karat gold border and was produced to the exacting standards of Rosenthal.


Packaging


Certificate of Authenticity

SHAMAN VISION ONE SERIES

By Norval Morrisseau
Date: 1979
Printer: Superb Graphics (Toronto)
Publisher: ALVO Canadian Art Ltd (Art Collectors Limited Editions Inc.)
Limited Edition of 195
Six Prints each measuring 19 x 24
No Artist Proofs known to exist.
Printed on Fine Art Etching paper.


This limited edition portfolio consisted of six Norval Morrisseau prints:







Each serigraph came with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity stamped by ALVO Canadian Art Limited which appears to be an owner of Art Collectors Limited Editions Inc.

The prints were packaged in a a custom portfolio.

METAMORPHOSIS - MAN INTO BEAR

Norval Morrisseau
By Norval Morrisseau
Date: INFO REQUIRED
Size: 28 x 22
Limited Edition of 99
Printer: Canadian Native Prints Ltd.