The Forgery

It was revealed at Sotherby’s this weekend that a drawing, presented to them for auction, is in fact a fake. The details are laid out below but I found the work involved in revealing the forgery fascinating. The drawing, 77mm x 77mm was said to be an original Hardiman circa 2007 entitled Cold Turkey. Private detectives were brought in when the auctioneer’s suspicions were aroused over some signs of damage to the paper.

On closer inspection, the damage turned out to be the result of cutting from a piece of paper practically twice that size. Connoisseurs will attest that all original Hardiman’s are created on the 77mm Post-It, with a few early exceptions that have all been verified, none of these were spliced prior to exhibition. Tests taken on the gum also proved that the paper was NOT in fact a real Post-It Note but in fact a generic alternative, available from many large, office supplies stores and often used as a cheap alternative.

Sotherby’s insisted upon further testing before making an announcement and discovered that the ink, highly indicative of Hardiman’s work due to the hallucinogenic effects of the Sharpie Bold Permanent Marker, was actually thought to be ink from an Edding 361 Board Marker.

As no sale has taken place, Sotherby’s are not legally required to make public the current owner of this work of art but they have announced that the piece, originally estimated to reach over £10.25 at auction, is currently in that hands for the Metropolitan Police Arts Fraud Division.