Friday, May 24, 2013

Florida Highwaymen Art Lies.

It has been written that there are lies and damn lies.



This original "unsigned" Florida Highwaymen painting is currently on eBay as of this morning.
 
Listed as Alfred Hair's work.



 
"Verified" as a Hair by Al Black, who inexplicably signed it "Al Black" where the signature usually goes, lower right. Written in script on the verso, and signed again by Al Black, "Painted by A Hair".
 
 
THIS WAS NOT PAINTED BY A HAIR. IT WAS PAINTED BY LIVINGSTON ROBERTS.
 
This bald-faced lie is beyond my comprehension.
 
 It likely was sold by Black, however. He probably didn't lie about that.
 
And to make matters even worse, Al Black has DEVALUED the painting by damaging it with his magic marker signature.

 
 
Here's a copy/paste from the seller's listing:
Large approx. 51X27 (sofa size) oil painting originally painted by A Hair, this painting however no longer has his signature. My mother assumed that when she sent him out to make changes that he wiped out his signature but upon researching, I have seen that many of Al Hair's works were painted without signatures. At a later date she went to an art show in Tallahassee that Al Black was attending and he confirmed and authenticated that it was an original "Alfred Hair" painting. He signed the back and the front and then stated "painted by A Hair" on the back of the painting. He remembered being there with Hair in Ft Lauderdale that day.

IMPORTANT UPDATE
 
Since posting this, a few days ago, I have been in communication with the seller, whose name is Crista.
Crista has shown integrity and good judgment by adjusting her listing to read as follows:

Al Black was and he signed the painting and confirmed that it was A Hair's painting and stated this on the back. However since my listing has been posted I have had a fellow ebayer tell me that Al Black was very known for "stretching the truth" and that the painting was actually a Livingston Roberts painting. This fellow ebayer also states that he was very familiar with the Highwaymen, and the artists different painting styles. Therefore I would say that the artist is unknown.