Fine Art Registry™ Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PARK WEST GALLERY AND PARK WEST AT SEA ATTEMPT TO SILENCE CONSUMER ADVOCACY GROUP WITH STRONG ARM LEGAL TACTICS
(Phoenix, AZ. — April 23, 2008) Park West Galleries, a Michigan based company best known for selling art on board cruise ships, has filed a series of lawsuits against the consumer advocacy group which spoke out regarding reports of inflated prices, misrepresentations and deceptive trade practices on CBS's Inside Edition in February of this year. In retaliation for Fine Art Registry exposing Park West's activities on that program and on the Fine Art Registry website, and for assisting Park West customers who approached Fine Art Registry, with education about works of art they bought at the cruise ship auctions, Park West recently filed suits against the company and some of its personnel, claiming libel and defamation. The suits are an attempt to stop the flow of information about Park West and to stem the tide of refund requests which have multiplied since the airing of the Inside Edition exposé and Fine Art Registry advocacy.
Park West also reacted heavily to Fine Art Registry raising questions about the authenticity of prints they sell of works by the Spanish painter, Salvador Dalí, many of them coming from the Italian Albaretto family, and about their five-figure prices. Park West also uploaded a number of videos onto YouTube in an attempt to establish Bernard Ewell, Morris Shapiro and other Park West personages as authorities on the subject of Salvador Dalí prints.
Some time before the airing of the Inside Edition exposé, Fine Art Registry published two articles exposing some of the irregularities reported to occur in the cruise line "art auctions" carried out by Park West and other companies, such as doling out free cocktails to the attendees before the auction, fake bidding or chandelier bidding, charging a "buyer's premium" when the artwork sold was not consigned to Park West but owned by the company, issuing "certificates of authenticity" and "appraisals" signed by Albert Scaglione or Morris Shapiro (the owners of the pieces that are being "authenticated" or "appraised"), selling sample items which were not the items the buyer eventually received, the lack of any standard catalog, the huge mark-ups (often as high as 1000% or more), the questionability of the authenticity of some of the items and the false misrepresentations and questionable sales tactics of their on-board gallery directors and personnel who touted the items sold (much of it poster art) as "investment quality art" and a huge bargain. Victims of these abuses (reports of all of these abuses are documented on many websites, not just Fine Art Registry) began contacting Fine Art Registry and becoming members of the organization, posting on the Fine Art Registry forum and asking for help with their plight when they found out they had bought art that was worth a fraction of what they were told it was worth and of what they paid for it. Fine Art Registry has so far spoken to over 60 such victims and helped educate them as to their purchases. As a result, many of these people contacted Park West demanding refunds or rescission of deals. Park West has apparently so far refunded or agreed to refund or rescind sales worth over $750,000. While this is just a drop in the bucket to Park West who reportedly made well over $500,000,000 in 2007 and are aiming to reach the $1 billion mark by 2010, the number of demands for refunds are increasing. Many of these refunds are still in progress. In each case refunded or rescinded, Park West has required that the customer sign a release, waiver and confidentiality agreement which forbids them to divulge the fact that Park West settled and the terms under which they settled and requires the buyer to release to Park West any past present or future emails or other correspondence about the artwork. They have also tried to coerce statements from our members about Fine Art Registry and other sources of information which the customers went to for help in demanding the refunds.
Fine Art Registry has commissioned or written a number of factual articles, case studies, and investigatory reports in an attempt to expose the abuses and warn potential victims of fraud ahead of time. These are all available at http://www.fineartregistry.com/articles/far_investigates/art-auction-investigation.php and more are in the preparation stage. These articles, which are based mainly on experiences reported by Park West customers or by Park West personnel are the sole exhibits presented by Park West in its lawsuits against Fine Art Registry.
Park West claim that their pricing is competitive and fair. However, sources inside Park West who have communicated with Fine Art Registry, state otherwise. They have provided actual pricing information about Park West's sales. Following is a quote from one such source with reference to a print sold to a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania doctor:
"The cost to PWG from Peter Max Studios was $6,050.00 with a framing cost of $70.00. According to PWG the 'appraised' value is $39,500. It was just recently sold on 8/24/2007 for $31,510.00. to V. S. by Jason Davey on the Celebrity Summit." This is one example. The customer in question is a Fine Art Registry member who was subsequently refunded the full amount after much protest from Park West.
Another source provided the following information about a Rembrandt print from the 'Millennium' edition, one of a popular series at these auctions:
"Rembrandt Van Rijn The Artist's Mother with her Hand on her Chest: Small Bust, 3 5/8" x 2 1/2" plate size, 12 7/8" x 9 3/4" sheet size Etching on Ingres d'Arches off-white laid paper (watermark) with large margins. Initialed in the plate ('RL') and dated '631.' The second state according to Bjorklund, the seventh state according to Nowell-Eusticke. A 20th Century impression printed by Marjorie Van Dyke. From the 'Millennium' edition limited to 2500 examples. List price is $3,900. Record is $4,200. Retail $1,940. Cost to Park West below $300.00 plus framing.” These are prints that are sold regularly to cruise line passengers and a number of Fine Art Registry members have obtained full refunds after discovering the inflated prices and the accompanying misrepresentations on the part of Park West auctioneers.
Searches on the web reveal many, many dissatisfied customers who have purchased art at Park West galleries on cruise ships. Fine Art Registry has set up an advocacy program to help deal with the reported abuses.
Fine Art Registry has set up a new website, www.salvadordalifakes.com to publish the results of ongoing investigations into the authenticity or lack thereof of large numbers of Dalí prints that are being sold by Park West and others for thousands or tens of thousands of dollars each.
Commenting on the lawsuits filed, CEO of Fine Art Registry, Theresa Franks said, "These types of malicious, meritless lawsuits are just part of the Park West MO. We have not stated one single untruth on our website or to any of our members and Park West refused to comment or provide their side of the story when contacted. We have reported the facts available to us, including over 60 personal stories of misrepresentation and deception, and information from inside sources to the authorities and to the media and will continue to do so as long as there are abuses on the part of Park West and other cruise line art dealers or anywhere else in the art industry. The Fine Art Registry mission is defined by transparency and ethics in the art industry."
For more information please see the Fine Art Registry Web site www.fineartregistry.com. For an interview with Theresa Franks or additional information, contact David Phillips at (206) 420-8341 or .
ABOUT FINE ART REGISTRY:
Fine Art Registry™ is today's only high tech solution to the age old problems that have existed in the art world since before the Ancient Greeks: How to establish provenance, prove authenticity and ownership, prevent forgery and fakery, deter theft and, basically, make it possible to create, buy and sell works of art with the security of knowing that they are what they claim to be. Full information on FAR® and how the system of tagging and registering art is available at www.FineArtRegistry.com.
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