[This is archived content and may not display in the originally intended format.]
Visual Arts
Police have charged Melbourne art conservator Muhammad Aman Siddique, 62, over allegedly forging paintings by the late Brett Whiteley.
Three counts went before the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 27 Aug, one for the financial gain of $2.5 million for producing and fraudulently selling the painting Lavender Bay (detail pictured top) as a genuine work by Whiteley; the second for a like painting Orange Lavender Bay for $1.1 million, and a third charge for the painting Through the Window Lavender Bay, which he attempted to sell for $950,000.
Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW.
Instagram: fairleygina
