Online Art Sales’ Peter Pan Principle: You’ve Just Gotta Believe

Today, the NY Times talks about the rampant fakery in the internet art market on its front page. Noting the significant volume of online art sales, and the popularity of find-a-treasure-in-the-trash reality TV shows like Storage Wars, Antiques Roadshow and Pickers, the article contrasts the hand wringing among the protectors of big name artists’ estates (the Giacometti foundation is reported to spend 40% of its budget suppressing forgeries!) with widespread unconcern over the “problem” among sellers, buyers, dealers, and artists. Not one artist or art dealer decried the decline of authenticity as a yardstick for art; art consultant and artbusiness.com principal Alan Bamberger summed up the pro-fakery attitude: “There is a lot of buying online, and most people are satisfied,” he said, “If you’re going to buy a fake and you believe it’s real,” he said, “then you’re going to be happy with it.”