[MSN] Fake painting sold for thousands on eBay

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Fake painting sold for thousands on eBay
July 09, 2007 11:03am

SHOPPERS buying art online should be just as careful as if they were buying from a dealer, the popular online auction site eBay said today.
The warning follows the recent sale on eBay of a fake painting described as a William Dobell original.

The real painting worth around $20,000 hangs at the University of NSW.

The ersatz Archibald Prize-winning portrait of artist Margaret Olley was sold on eBay a fortnight ago for $3055.

But the work was really a fake originally sold for $320 by infamous Australian painter Will Blundell.

Blundell, who is notorious for what he calls "innuendos'' of other artists' work was bemused by the sale.

A spokesman for eBay.com, Daniel Feiler, said the usual warning of "buyer beware'' applied to online customers, especially for expensive purchases.

"Purchasing art on eBay is no different than buying from a dealer. You need to do your homework,'' he said.

"Buying expensive items online needs the same consumer information as if offline.

"Check the item description very carefully. If you are not satisfied, ask questions, ask for more pictures, get a scanned copy, ask for the history of the piece.

"If it looks too good to be true it probably is. Buying expensive art is no different on eBay or from an art dealer. You must exercise the same amount of common sense, he said.''

Mr Feiler said the website's customer support facility had not received any complaints about the sale of the painting as "original''.

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