Banksy in frame for artwork auction fraud allegations
Published on: 26-Sep-2007
Celebrity graffiti artist Banksy has been caught up in eBay fraud allegations involving a number of his artworks.It has been alleged that unauthorised Banksy prints have been sold online - with the prices fixed by accomplice 'buyers' artificially upping prices via a series of false bids.
The responsible parties are employees of Pictures on Walls (POW) and Banksy and the directors of the company have admitted that some of the works are false and have launched an investigation, the Guardian reports.
A statement from POW read: "It appears that in spite of strict fiscal controls and strict controls of the physical prints that 25 bad prints have been sold on eBay.
"Pictures on Walls have called on eBay to assist in tracing these sales and also in tracing the money which will inexorably lead to those that have cynically betrayed the trust of the public, the artist and the company."
It is thought that one bootleg print, Soup Can, sold for £6,000.
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