Females in the Frame by Penelope Jackson

Author:Penelope Jackson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030207663
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Germaine Curvers

Germaine Marguerite Marie François Toussaint Curvers’ legacy is one of an art dealer who left behind a trail of deceit. Many private and public Australian collections are now populated with fraudulent works that Curvers sold to them (and possibly further afield than Australia). For over two decades, the Belgian-born Australian émigré dealer ran a lucrative trade in art produced by some of the biggest names and best-loved Australian artists such as Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, and Brett Whiteley, as well as more internationally renowned artists like Pollock and Picasso.

Curvers fell into art dealing out of a necessity to downsize her personal collection that filled the bed and breakfast establishment she ran in Sydney. She began to sell the collection off from her Paddington Street, Windsor Gallery. Reports described Curvers as having a presence—‘large, cigarette-smoking, champagne-drinking’—that few could forget.36 With profit margins at times reaching 2000%, Curvers made a decent living from selling art; she had a good eye for what sold well and met this demand by commissioning copies to be made by William Blundell (b.1947), a furniture dealer and copy artist.

Blundell, who was also conveniently based in Sydney, was a prolific copyist who claimed to be able to make 20 Brett Whiteley works an hour.37 Brett Whiteley (1939–1992) was a foremost Australian artist whose vibrantly distinctive work is highly regarded and prized by collectors. Blundell’s prolificacy worked well for Curvers who commissioned him to make works to order for her, paying him a small sum for each one. And this is where it gets interesting. According to Blundell, he sold his works to Curvers on the grounds that they were wall coverings, for decoration, nothing more. Curvers would then frame the works—often using recycled vintage frames—in an effort to make them appear more authentic. Famously, when the scam came to light after Curvers’ death on 15 April 1997, Blundell cleverly referred to his artworks as ‘innuendoes’ or ‘decorative pieces’. Copying of art, or making art in the style of an artist, is not illegal. However, the passing off of such works as authentic originals is illegal. Given his intent was not to sell the innuendoes as originals, he was not convicted of any wrongdoing. In addition, what ultimately helped the court case from Blundell’s perspective was Curvers was now deceased, so they only had his word. Blundell admitted to painting at least 162 innuendoes in court, but denied he knew Curvers’ intention was to on-sell them as originals.

Within the context of this study, it is Curvers who is under scrutiny. She was successful in her dealings; Curvers made good profits from Blundell’s works. Her success was due to her ability to fool collectors and professionals alike. Curvers even fooled her husband, who especially in the early days of her dealing, thought the works were authentic. Curvers’ strong and flamboyant personality made her adept at selling, and evidence produced during the court case showed her to be an astute businesswoman; over a decade she paid Blundell—always by cash or cash cheque—only about AU$40K, typically AU$100 to AU$200 per painting.

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