A forgery attributed to Norval Morrisseau (photo courtesy of the Ontario Provincial Police)
A gallery in Calgary is now suing the estate of indigenous Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau for defamation.
EA Studios has filed a complaint with the Superior Trial Court in Alberta over remarks made by Morrisseau estate officials, mainly its director Cory Dingle. According to the suit, Dingle allegedly referred to the gallery as “an unethical organization of low moral character that sells inferior and possibly fake artworks that were obtained through an abusive, and possibly criminal, exploitation of a vulnerable Indigenous artist”. The gallery is also suing the estate for breach of contract. The suit alleges that EA Studios had an arrangement with the Morrisseau’s estate to refer potential buyers to them, guaranteeing that the works they sell are originals by the artist. EA Studios promised the estate 10% of the purchase price in exchange for this referral. The remarks made by Dingle, therefore, go against this agreement and constitute a breach of contract. EA Studios also states that they hired private investigators to pose as collectors and verify that Dingle was doing this.
Even if these allegations are accurate, I can’t say that I blame the Morrisseau estate for being perhaps a bit jittery regarding fake artwork. For over two years, I’ve been following the developments of the Morrisseau forgery scandal. For years, a forgery ring in Ontario produced fake artworks in Morrisseau’s style. The two ring leaders have since been sentenced to prison. Meanwhile, several organizations, including the Morrisseau estate, the Canadian Conservation Institute, the Ontario police, and the Law Society of Canada, have had a hand in the efforts to track down and identify all the forgeries. Being skeptical of any gallery that purportedly sells Morrisseau paintings is a wise thing to do while the authentication efforts are ongoing. However, if Dingle did indeed say these things, it seems a little harsh to go after a specific gallery with such comments, especially one that had a relationship with the artist while he was still living. However, in their filings, EA Studios claims that the estate’s concern with forgeries may not be as sincere as it seems. EA Studios alleges that, for financial gain, the estate “supported and promoted the authenticity of many of the fraudulent works and assisted, by spreading false information, in undermining efforts to expose and stop the fraud”.
EA Studios is seeking C$1.45 million (or about US$1.03 million) in damages. It claims that Dingle’s statements have cost them clients and have soiled their reputation. The Norval Morrisseau estate has not yet responded.