FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information contact:
Mary Garrett — 602-432-2010
FINE ART REGISTRY™ COMMISSIONS
INDEPENDENT FORENSIC REVIEW OF ALLEGED
JACKSON POLLOCK FINGERPRINT
(Phoenix, AZ. — January 4, 2007) Global Fine Art Registry, LLC., has commissioned an independent review of the latent fingerprint evidence claimed by Peter Paul Biro and Teri Horton to be the key indicator that the painting Horton bought for $5 in a California thrift store is a genuine Jackson Pollock. According to media reports, Horton is attempting to sell the painting for at least $50 million. Fine Art Registry™ (FAR®), the developer of a high-tech solution that enables artists and collectors to permanently identify and register works of art and collectibles with a combination of a tamper-evident seal and secure online database registration, became involved when one of its members, Francis Hogan Brown, asserted that Horton’s painting might be one of his own. Brown cited his large body of similar work, a lifetime of painting in a style derived from Pollock, and the fact that he distributed many of his paintings in the southern California area where the Horton painting was found, as credible support for his claim.
“We are determined to help establish the truth of the matter,” said FAR CEO, Theresa Franks, herself a long-term, art lover and collector. “I developed the FAR registration and tagging system to avoid situations such as the present controversy over the origins of Horton’s painting. If FAR technology had been available at the time the Horton painting was created years ago, we would know instantly who created the painting and the provenance supporting it. But we stand by our members. If this painting was created by Frankie Brown then he will likely be in a position to claim extensive royalties, under a California law that protects artists by guaranteeing a percentage return on future sales, as well as copyright claims based on the commercial use of the painting.”
Mr. Hanley has reviewed all the information published in the Biro report and the preliminary review indicates that Biro’s claim of positive identification (of Pollock’s fingerprint) is baseless. However, Mr. Hanley has contacted Biro and a final report is pending review of the materials Biro utilized to support his claimed identification.
“Based on the work to date and pending a final official report, this so-called fingerprint ID appears to be entirely unsubstantiated and false,” said Ms. Franks, “But we are proceeding cautiously and following all proper scientific channels before publicly issuing our final conclusions, which will be backed by all the evidence.”
An initial issue to be resolved by viewing Biro’s original materials is whether or not the latent print deposited on the reverse of Horton’s painting represents a sufficient impression area to make any positive identification at all. This is not a matter to be taken lightly, since the Biro/Horton/Volpe claim, the movie on the subject “Who The #$&% is Jackson Pollock?” and much public fanfare is based almost entirely on this “fingerprint ID”.
Frankie Brown, the artist who has said that the painting may be one of his own, has asked Ms. Horton for permission to see the painting close up as he is certain that this will dispel any doubt in his mind as to whether the piece is one of his own “splatter-dash” paintings. This request has to date been denied. Brown has also submitted a full set of his own fingerprints to the FAR forensic expert for further analysis.
As a sideline to his current investigation, Mr. Hanley is also looking into another such incident in which Biro apparently claimed to identify a fingerprint on another painting as belonging to J. M. W. Turner which resulted in the sale of an apparently once worthless painting for $137,400 U.S.
All of the findings and several articles on the Horton case and related subject matter by legal and art experts are available on the Fine Art Registry website (www.FineArtRegistry.com) and FAR will continue to provide up to date information on the progress of this story. The site also includes a video interview with Frankie Brown. A public statement of findings will be made by Mr. Hanley when his forensic analysis is complete.
“FAR is working to bring order to the world of art where opinion, lack of regulation, false claims and deception by money-motivated exploiters are unfortunately the order of the day,” said Ms. Franks.
For more information please see the Fine Art Registry Web site www.fineartregistry.com. For an interview with Theresa Franks or additional information, contact Mary Garrett at 602-432-2010 or at mgcommunik8@cox.net.
ABOUT FINE ART REGISTRY:
Fine Art Registry™ is today's only high tech solution to the age old problems that have existed in the art world since before the Ancient Greeks: How to establish provenance, prove authenticity and ownership, prevent forgery and fakery, deter theft and, basically, make it possible to create, buy and sell works of art with the security of knowing that they are what they claim to be. Full information on FAR® and how the system of tagging and registering art objects works is available at www.FineArtRegistry.com.
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