Forgeries -
a Forewarning
Unfortunately, there has been some recent activity found on a popular internet auction site featuring a clear forgery of the work of Darwin Musselman.
If you run across a Musselman work for sale, and you would like to verify its authenticity, please contact his heirs at
steve@darwinmusselman.com. We will instruct you to provide a few snapshots to aid in the quick verification. Also, well-known auction houses which specialize in the work of known California artists can also help to authenticate in person; one such house is John Moran of Pasadena, CA.
We have a complete catalog of all of his work, as Musselman's wife Ethel was a bookkeeper by education. This protects innocent investors from fraud, and ensures confidence in the market.
Besides the consistent hand of the artist evident in his work, there are obvious and subtle details in all of Musselman's work that can easily help identify the authenticity.
The painting at the left was recently found to be for sale, at a price consistent with recent auction activity. It was listed as a Musselman, (poorly) signed as a Darwin Musselman, and listed the complete bio found on various on-line art references.
In this case, the benefit of doubt goes to the gallery, as they themselves may have been victimized. However, as more fraudulent activity is uncovered, the Estate of Darwin Musselman will aggressively pursue such matters with the proper legal authorities.
