The following story is a warning to all prospective buyers and holders of Park West Gallery Dali inventory--and especially those Park West Gallery Dali prints that are purportedly signed by Dali and that source from the Albaretto family and other shady European sources from which Park West Gallery acquired its inventory. Recently, a theft of so-called signed Dali prints was reported. The owner's insurance company was notified of the theft and an insurance claim was filed for the "fair market value." (Isn't this where the bogus, unsupportable, grossly inflated Park West Gallery "replacement value" appraisals come into play?) But after the insurance company conducted an investigation, it turned out that the Dali prints were found to be "forged" and "defaced"...
On their honeymoon cruise in 1998, Long Islanders Carl and Stacey Kolansky fell in love with two woodcuts by Salvador Dali. They saw them during an art show aboard their Royal Caribbean cruise ship, and later snapped up two prints for a few thousand dollars thinking they had made a great investment... reports NYPost.com on July 31, 2011...
Over the last several weeks, Park West Gallery and its lawyers have managed to broadcast the most outlandish and amazing propaganda (always a twisted and perverted version of the truth) regarding what happened at the jury trial and their interpretation of Zatkoff's decision to vacate the jury verdict that we rightfully and fairly won. Paul Motter of Cruisemates recently published the following article containing an interview with Juror No. 1. Reports CruiseMates.com on September 17, 2010...
A Chilean artist sued Park West Gallery on Thursday, saying the Southfield-based company is printing and selling copies of his work without his permission. "From 1999 until today, every day, these forgeries have been sold behind my back by these unscrupulous entities," Alex Perez said after filing the suit in U.S. District Court in Detroit. "These organizations have no shame." Reports FreeP.com on July 9, 2010...
"More than two dozen other unhappy customers sued Park West Gallery on Tuesday, saying the Southfield-based company sold them fake, forged or overpriced artwork. The suit, filed in Oakland County Circuit Court, is the latest in a flurry of litigation against Park West, which once billed itself as the world's largest privately owned art gallery." Reports FreeP.com on June 23, 2010...
"A Southfield art gallery was sued Tuesday by 27 collectors who claim the business sold them more than $3 million in fake or misrepresented artwork on cruise ships and at auctions. The lawsuit in Oakland Circuit Court is the latest against Park West Galleries Inc., co-owners Albert Scaglione and Albert Molina, gallery director Morris Shapiro and Plymouth Auctioneering Services Ltd." Reports DetNews.com on June 23, 2010...
"Are cruise ship art auctions fair or foul? It's a hot topic these days among cruisers -- and one the Detroit Free-Press today is taking a hard look at in a lengthy front-page story. The sister paper to USA TODAY profiles a number of cruise ship passengers who have accused Detroit-based Park West -- the biggest player in cruise ship art auctions -- of selling fake, forged and overpriced artwork and using phony appraisals and certificates of authenticity." Reports USAtoday.com on June 10, 2010...
"Park West sued, countersuing over practices.
Marti Szostak said it was irresistible: the chance to buy limited-edition prints by Dali, Rembrandt and other artists at a huge discount. So the 60-year-old nurse from Bargersville, Ind., bought 21 pieces of art for $48,000 from Southfield-based Park West Gallery during art auctions on Royal Caribbean cruise ships in 2005 and 2007. Szostak said she worked three jobs to pay for it and then decided to sell. To her horror, she said, art dealers told her the prints were largely worthless. She said experts told her the Dali signatures were forged." Reports FreeP.com on June 10, 2010...
"Many attractions on board cruise ships are operated by outside companies, not the cruise lines. One of these vendors is currently embroiled in controversy, Park West Gallery of Southfield, Mich.,the purveyor of many cruise ship art auctions." Reports FOXbusiness.com on May 21, 2010...
"One thing has become apparent in the ongoing battle between Park West Gallery and Fine Art Registry – this has become a blood-letting battle to the finish." Reports CruiseMates.com on May 14, 2010...
"Royal Caribbean is dropping the company that runs its on-board art auctions, Park West, and may eliminate art auctions entirely from its ships." Reports USA Today on May 12, 2010...
"Royal Caribbean Drops Park West Gallery. Park West Art Auctions, suffering from fraud allegations, loses a major customer in Royal Caribbean" Reports CruiseMates.com on May 11, 2010...
Cruise Law News reports: Earlier this week I reported on the jury verdict in favor of Fine Art Registry who fended off a SLAPP lawsuit by cruise art auctioneers Park West Gallery. The article...
Cruise Bruise reports: You know that what you are doing is worthwhile, when the people you try to keep in line and hold accountable come after you. That is what I thought when I got hate mail...
The chief executive of the Arizona art registry who won $500,000 from Park West Gallery of Southfield said Sunday she’ll continue to investigate art crime and advocate for artists and collectors...
CruiseMates.com has an interesting article entitled "Cruise Ship Art Auctioneer Park West Loses" which discusses a jury verdict in favor of Fine Art Registry which claims that the Park West...
A Federal Court jury decided completely in favor of Phoenix based Fine Art Registry® and three individual defendants in a defamation and business interference case brought by Southfield Michigan...
"A Michigan jury rules in favor of Fine Art Registry who claims cruise ship art auctioneers have been selling fraudulent works." Reports CruiseMates.com on April 22, 2010...
On April 21, 2010 Crain's Detroit Business published an article about jury verdict of the $46 million defamation lawsuit over alleged Dali forgeries in Federal Court, reports Chad Halcom...
On April 8, 2010 Cruise Mates published an article about the $46 million defamation lawsuit over alleged Dali forgeries continuing in Federal Court, reports Paul Motter...
On April 1, 2010 Wallet Pop published an article about Park West Gallery appraisals being off 90% by secondary market standards, reports Zac Bissonnette...
On January 6, 2010 The Art Newspaper published an article about the Sharon Day and Julian Howard lawsuit against Park West Gallery, entitled Lawyers dismiss Park West libel case. However non-binding judgement means part of action will still go ahead.
View Article Archives
