Nazi-Era Art Hoard

lifestyle SUNDAY, JULY 9, 2017 FEATURES This undated photo shows fake Native American styled-jewelry seized by federal officials during a 2015 investigation in New Mexico. — AP photos Fake Indian art threatens native livelihood he recent spread of fake Native American art and jewelry a 2012 agreement put the US Fish and Wildlife Service at the Begay-Foss, a Navajo weaver and director of education at the has shown the need to update how the federal govern- forefront of pursuing violations. William Woody, the top law New Mexico Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, said both Tment protects tribal artists from fraud that undercuts the enforcement official at the Fish and Wildlife Service, warned Indian artists and befuddled shoppers are frustrated by the value of their work, according to two US senators who gath- that counterfeiters may easily write off economic sanctions, influx of counterfeits. She called out Navajo-baskets as fakes ered suggestions for reforms on Friday. New Mexico Sens. Tom calling the current $250,000 maximum fine a "pittance." that were used as decorations for the Senate hearing. "The Udall and Martin Heinrich convened a hearing in the He and a representative from the Department of Justice federal law does not protect you as a buyer," she said. American Indian arts hub of Santa Fe, where federal law said lawmakers should consider bolstering criminal forfeiture In October 2015, federal agents raided Indian art galleries enforcement officials and leading Native American artists provisions as well. Pressed for an estimate on how much of the in Albuquerque, Gallup, New Mexico, and Calistoga, California, described a disheartening influx of counterfeit jewelry, weav- U.S. Indian art market is made up of counterfeits, Woody said to seize counterfeits and evidence. Authorities have accused ings and contemporary art knock-offs. "it could be as high as 80 percent" but cautioned that confir- Nael Ali, owner of two Indian art galleries in the Old Town "We've got a serious problem on our hands," said Udall, mation is impossible. Federal prosecutors in New Mexico are neighborhood of Albuquerque and another in Arizona, of vice chair of the Senate Indian affairs committee, summarizing preparing for two trials in an ambitious investigation that attributing jewelry to specific Navajo craftsman when it was three hours of testimony. "Fake Indian arts and crafts are traced falsified Native American art from manufacturers in the actually made in the Philippines. flooding the markets right here in Santa Fe and across the Philippines to galleries across the United States, from Santa Fe Ali and art supplier Mohammad Manasra are scheduled for country and this is having an effect of destabilizing the Native to Virginia and Alaska. trial in August on fraud charges under the Indian Arts and Art market. It's forcing Native Americans to quit their crafts." Officials on Friday said the targeted networks imported Crafts Act. They maintain their innocence. Subsequent indict- Udall said he hopes to propel efforts to modernize the Indian jewelry with a declared value of $11 million. They said the jew- ments against four people trace Filipino-made jewelry to Arts and Crafts Act to cope with sophisticated international elry would have fetched at least twice that price through retail Indian-art galleries in Santa Fe and San Diego. The defendants jewelry rings that copy Native American designs and police sales. Meridith Stanton, executive director of the Interior could get maximum penalties of five years in prison and a online sales. Department's Indian Arts and Crafts Board, said her office Indian Market to educate shoppers and brokers about avoid- $250,000 fine. —AP The act makes it a crime to falsely market and sell art as already works with legal departments for online sellers including fraudulent Indian art. Native American-made when it is not. A 2010 amendment to ing Amazon, eBay and Etsy to confront vendors of fake Indian "You can speak or pass out brochures, and do workshops the Indian Arts and Crafts Act broadened provisions to allow artwork. and seminars, but you still have to have the law enforcement any federal law enforcement to conduct investigations, while Her office also attends events such as Santa Fe's summer aspect, you have to have the hammer," Stanton said. Joyce Frida Kahlo look-alikes attempt to break record ith unibrows and flowers in their hair, more than 1,000 people came to a Dallas museum dressed as WFrida Kahlo as part of an attempt to set a record. The Dallas Museum of Art says more than 5,000 people attended the celebration Thursday night marking the 110th birthday of the artist. The museum, which partnered with the Latino Center for Leadership Development for the attempt, said evidence will be submitted to Guinness World Records next week and the review process will take up to 12 weeks. Participants were asked to create a unibrow, put flowers in their hair, wear a red or pink shawl and a flower-printed dress. The museum is currently featuring an exhibition called "Mexico 1900-1950: Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Jose Clemente Orozco, and the Avant-Garde." — AP In this photo, dozens of Frida look- alikes stand in line during an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Frida Kahlo in one location Journalists film, take picture and look at the pieces of art during the press preview of the first masterpieces of the estate at the Dallas Museum of the Art in of German collector Cornelius Gurlitt at the Museum of Fine Arts Bern in Bern. — AFP photos Dallas. — AP First works from Nazi-era art Perry promo slammed hoard arrive at Bern museum Swiss museum on Friday showed off pieces from a spectac- "degenerated art" and sequestered in German museums. for ular Nazi-era art hoard it inherited from a German recluse, Most of the pieces are on paper, including important works 'cruel' koala joke Ain the run-up to the first exhibit of the controversial collec- within the symbolism, expressionism, constructivism and new tion. The Museum of Fine Arts in Bern unveiled a selection of the objectivity movements. But the exhibit in Switzerland will run in op superstar Katy Perry has been slammed by animal activists nearly 200 pieces set to go on display on November 2 for its parallel with a second display from the collection at the for telling her pet dog to "chase some koalas" in a promotion- exhibit "Degenerate Art, Confiscated and Sold". Among the works Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Germany, which will focus on "Nazi Art al video for the Australian leg of her global tour. The plug for showed off to the media Friday were pieces by important German Theft and its Consequences". Once those two exhibits have run P painters Otto Dix, and Franz Marc and Otto Mueller. their course by early March 2018, the Bonn exhibition will go on Perry's "Witness" tour next year, which also pushes the country's top department store Myer and its 8,000 ticket giveaway for the shows, The works are part of a vast trove of works left behind by art display in Bern, the museum said. — AFP featured the singer telling the poodle: "Let's go chase some koalas, collector Cornelius Gurlitt, who died in 2014 at the age of 81. Nugget." When Gurlitt died, he named the Bern museum as the sole heir to Koalas on Australia's east coast are listed as vulnerable to extinc- hundreds of works found in his cluttered Munich apartment, tion, with dog attacks, habitat loss and vehicle strikes among the including pieces by the likes of Cezanne, Beckmann, Holbein, top causes of the population decline. "This is just absolute igno- Delacroix and Munch. rance from Perry and Myer, and inappropriate on so many levels," Gurlitt, described in media reports as an eccentric recluse, hid wildlife vet Claire Madden told Queensland's Courier Mail. "Perry is a the paintings, drawings and sketches in his Munich home for role model to so many young people, and this just destroys all the decades and another 239 works at a house he owned in Salzburg, good work we do to try to encourage people not to let their dogs Austria. Gurlitt's father was one of four art dealers during the Third come into contact with koalas." Reich tasked by the Nazis with selling art stolen from Jews or con- The retailer also came under fire on social media. "How could fiscated as "degenerate" works. Although German authorities dis- you even think this was OK? On any level? Pathetic. Cruelty to ani- covered the collection during a tax probe in 2012, they kept it mals is not a joke", one user wrote on Facebook. Following the under wraps for more than a year until it came to light in a maga- backlash a Myer spokeswoman told AFP the company had removed zine article. the reference to koalas in the video. It replaced the line with: "OK Gurlitt struck an agreement with the German government in Nugget, it's time to get you a puppy passport". April 2014 stipulating that any works that were plundered by the Perry is not the first celebrity to come under fire in Australia over Nazis would be returned to their rightful owners and the Bern her dog. In 2015 Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his then-wife museum said it would honor that wish. Heirs of collectors stripped Amber Heard also caused a storm when they failed to declare her of their assets by the Nazis, many of whom would later be killed in two dogs on arrival into the country.

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