August 11, 2021 

Artist Richard Hambleton in 2009 © Patrick McMullan Photo credit: Neil Rasmus/PatrickMcMullan.com  

A California man named Jason Harrington has pleaded guilty on charges of selling fake paintings from Barkley Hendricks and Richard Hambleton. The 38-year old Escondido resident admitted to have sold forged paintings of Hambleton’s Shadowman to over a dozen galleries between the last three years. One of which auctioned for over $500,000 USD in 2018 and another for nearly $400,000 USD in 2019.

The U.S. Attorney's Office also alleges Harrington tried to sell at least one forged painting that he claimed was made by portraitist Barkley Hendricks. Harrington claimed to be an art gallery owner and said he inherited the painting from his uncle, but the gallery at which he attempted to sell the fake later declined after Hendricks' widow viewed the painting and informed them it was forged.

© Richard Hambleton 

Photo credit: invaluable.com/auction-lot/richard-hambleton-canadian-1952-2017-shadowman-19-329-c-2064375aab 

To make the pictures seem legitimate, Harrington would present buyers with a letter “purportedly signed by the individual who obtained the art’’ and lie about the provenance, the department says. On one occasion, it adds, he asked someone to claim that the work was purchased directly from Hambleton, a celebrated street artist, and presented the buyer with doctored photographs to make it seem as if the person who had obtained he art knew Hambleton personally, it adds. 

Harrington also admitted to trying to sell a forged Barkley Hendricks, claiming to the owner of an art gallery that he had inherited the portrait from his uncle, the Department of Justice says. The gallerist turned down the offer, however, after Hendrick’s widow inspected the work and deemed it a phoney. Harrington “created multiple fake paintings, devised elaborate cover stories to authenticate them, targeted unsuspecting buyers, and sold over a million dollars of forged artwork,” said FBI special agent-in-charge Suzanne Turner. As part of his plea, Harrington agreed to pay at least $1.1 million in restitution. He will appear for sentencing on October 22 and could face up to 20 years in prison.