'JP ROONEY - OIL "SILENT MOTHER"'
This JP Rooney artist is pretty popular around this area (Northern Ireland).
I have subsequently discovered however that this JP Rooney guy doesn't exist
and and it's some guy called 'Martin Hasson' producing all these works.
I paid a tidy sum for the painting. Can I go back to the auction house and
demand my money back?
Are you saying that all the JP Rooney works are by Martin Hasson?
yip - confirmed by the head auctioneer in one of the leading auction houses
in Belfast. I bought my painting in a smaller auction house - but popular
nonetheless - about 10 miles outside Belfast
Err, whats the problem?
Would you take back first editions by Mary Ann Evans, or Richard Bachman
when you found out they were also known as George Eliot and Stephen King
respectively?
Has the picture got any uglier or less saleable?
A rose is still a rose etc.
Ah, the tort of deceit. You can certainly try, but you may be
presented with a caveat emptor.
if he is as good as you say then sell him on.
ok - comments noted but let me clarify a few things:
* this arist has a complete life fabricated for him that is totally
fictitious
* local auction houses do not make a point of disclosing that this artist
doesn't exist
* the paintings by this artist are described incorrectly ie by a non
existing artist - and no point is made that the name is a pseudoname
I bought the piece in good faith that I was buying a work by a local artist.
It now turns out that I was misled as the auction house misrepresented the
work.
You want your money back, does this mean you don't like the painting?
I buy art for the love of the image, not the name on it,
I don't collect autographs.
--
Regards.
Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)
___________________________________________________________
"To know the character of a man, give him anonymity" - Mr.Nice.
www.mrnice.me.uk mrniceATmrnice.me.uk
http://community.webshots.com/user/mrnice106
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Art is a process of creation...
AIUI, anyone can use any name that they like when they like so long as they
are not fraudulently gaining advantage.
By that, the artist using another name would not necessarily be getting some
advantage from you that he would have received by using some other name -
it's not like you thought it was by Renoir or Damien Hurst.
And the artist does exist and is called JP Rooney, and may be local it's
just that he has a (probably legal) alias.
IANAL
Stephen