Rolf Harris, a former musician, painter and T.V. personality, was arrested in 2013 stemming from a connection to indecent assault on two girls in the 1980’s (9 counts of indecent assault and 4 counts of making indecent images of children). Now, one year later, Harris’s market is understandably in the gutter. Many galleries have pulled his prints and sculptures from their showrooms and even eBay is being pressured to pull items associated with the artist. The real question is… Can a work of art exist independently; are the artist’s actions a constant reflection on his body of work? In this case, it appears the answer would be a big NO, but that has not always been the case in the past. Here are a few different perspectives on that topic from players in the art market.
