Why is this man smiling…?
Coming this year…
EXPOSED… the Greatest Hoax in Canadian History…
A Wonderful Painting… with writing to die for, on the back…
A truly fabulous and typical 1970s style, Norval Morrisseau painting, signed, titled, and dated on the back in black paint with his customary 1970s “drybrush” technique. Wolf Morrisseau, his younger brother, advised Norval to do this – sometime in the early 1970s – as often as possible, to make his work more appealing to international collectors and buyers who were unfamiliar with Norval’s name in syllabics.
So, in spite of what you hear from a couple of self-promoting publicists, count yourself extremely lucky, if your Morrisseau has black drybrush writing like this on the back.
Three different, top Canadian independent forensic document examiners and handwriting experts have used this writing to verify that some 90 paintings they were asked to examine – all of which had been called fakes or forgeries by some downtown Toronto hustlers – were, contrary to what they claimed, all genuine paintings by Norval Morrisseau – without a single dissenting finding.
That’s a truly stupendous batting record for authenticity, of 100%, proving conclusively that Norval – and no one else – signed, titled, and dated them, in black drybrush technique, in the 1970s.
And that, previously, was the professional finding of Donald Robinson himself, who, after examining both paintings featured here, personally, front and back, on Jan. 26, 2000 declared to me, “Oh, they’re real alright. Trust me. I’m the guy who wrote the book on Morrisseau.”
These unanimous findings, by three different, and completely independent forensic experts, of course, totally destroys, absolutely, the credibility of anyone who claims Norval Morrisseau never ever signed, titled, or dated the backs of any paintings in black drybrush paint.
This, due to some unexplained and colossal professional misstep, has to include Donald Robinson of the Kinsman Robinson Galleries in Toronto, and a business associate of his, who both adamantly claimed that this was the case, in court appearances in 2011.
Anyone can be wrong once, of course. But you can’t be wrong 90 times and counting, as increasing numbers of independent forensic reports are being published, all supporting each other with the same scientific conclusions, clearly making the claims of Donald Robinson and his business associate, beyond preposterous.
And raises the serious question that obviously follows: why would anyone, possibly say that Norval never ever did that, and insist on holding to a totally discredited minority opinion, when, in the face of a mountain of scientific data, claiming so cannot be viewed as anything but fraudulent…?
Thank God for BDPs… like this one…
BDP is short for Norval’s “black drybrush paintings,” which is short for “1970s style paintings, black drybrush signed, titled, and dated on the back.”
His “signing” style on the back, as shown on “Medicine Being from Sacred Fish Stomch 1976,” and “Shaman Envelopes Soma 1976,” hardly varied over the years. Norval did thousands of these in the 1970s, which most experts consider his “high period.”
So, if you bought a Morrisseau painting in the 1990s which does not have Norval’s usual, post 1970, writing on the back – that is, it is not a BDP – you are straight out of luck.
You have absolutely no way for any independent forensics expert to prove for you – or your insurance adjuster – that what you have is actually a genuine Morrisseau painting, instead of just a fake “Morrisseau,” painted by someone else.
Donald Robinson, one of Norval Morrisseau’s many dealers, himself has claimed that thousands of forgeries were produced in the 1990s. His warning should urge you to look at the back of your Morrisseau for signatures and writing as we show here, so you can take it to a forensics expert.
And weep if you find none… if your canvas is, unhappily, blank on the back…
The BDP writing on the back of any Morrisseau, in spite of what you hear from one or two naysayers, who have only diabolical mischief in mind, is worth its weight in gold… Over 90 independent forensic authentications have proven, without a single exception, that all paintings some insisted on calling forgeries, were, in fact, absolutely genuine Morrisseaus.
This is, of course, fantastic news for the hundreds of Morrisseau collectors around the world who own the thousands of BDPs, signed, titled and dated, on the back by Norval in black drybrush paint.
Thank God for Wolf Morrisseau’s business savvy, back in the early 1970s.
Absolutely unique in Canadian history, one of only two paintings, that have ever been Holy Trinity Authenticated as genuine works by Norval Morrisseau: by Donald Robinson, who claims to be the Principal Morrisseau Dealer, in 2000; by Norval Morrisseau, the artist himself, who never listed either of them on any Affidavit of Forgery, even though they had been prominently published on the internet for seven years, seen by him and his business managers, during a period they sent cease and desist orders on hundreds of paintings they called forgeries, to collectors across Canada; and by Kenneth J Davies, one of Canada’s top forensic document examiners and handwriting experts. In the interests of full and fair disclosure, we must state that Donald Robinson now claims, and has strongly testified in court, on several occasions, that ALL such paintings are forgeries, despite forensic findings by three of Canada’s top professional forensic document examiners and handwriting experts, who have UNANIMOUSLY CONTRADICTED HIM, IN EVERY SINGLE CASE, and found, in OVER 70 INDEPENDENT PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATIONS, of paintings he claimed were forgeries, that they were in fact, genuine works by Norval Morrisseau, with DNA certainty, and without a single dissenting finding, were signed by Norval, and found further, that they could not have been signed by anyone else.
The Voice from the Grave – Wolf’s advice, that Norval clearly took, when he signed thousands of his paintings on the back, with black drybrush paint, has saved the investment value in the paintings of hundreds of loyal, longtime Morrisseau collectors.
As well as preserve, and safeguard, Norval’s painting heritage as expressed in many hundreds of genuine paintings that Norval painted during his “high period” of the 1970s, when he was most healthy, physically and mentally, produced the most paintings, had the most shows, had his best and most lavish book produced, was awarded an Honourary Doctorate, as well as the Order of Canada.
And “his voice from the grave,” which has now been scientifically resurrected, and authenticated, also serves to totally and absolutely discredit those who seek to destroy his painting heritage for their own ends – since he is no longer here to defend himself.
Norval’s own handwriting, on the back of his own paintings, is the last word on authenticity. These BDPs – and nothing else – are the “Documents of Record,” on what is authentic and what is not, in the art of Norval Morrisseau.
And, seriously, reach for a hanky – we don’t recommend suicide as an option – if your supposed Morrisseau, which you paid $40,000 to $50,000 for, is blank on the back…
Leaving you only with hearsay evidence of authenticity…
And you know what that is worth in court… or anywhere else…
TO BURN OR NOT TO BURN… A question of saving them and other BDPs from being defaced by paint, as one cartel member did in a media stunt, or burned as trash, because, in Donald Robinson’s testimony to Judge Paul Martial, they are worth “zero” and “not a cent,” after he had been asked the value of a similar painting, “Wheel of Life” above, for which a retired teacher, Margaret Hatfield, had paid some $10,000. That painting too, had been forensically authenticated by one of Canada’s top handwriting experts, who came to court to testify that it was signed by Norval Morrisseau with DNA certainty, and by no one else. In Another Surreal Event in Canadian Fine Art, in effect her opponent’s scientific expert in court, assured Ms. Hatfield that, luckily for her, her own expert witness, Donald Robinson, was wrong, and she had not lost $10,000 of her retirement savings down the drain, but was the proud owner of a genuine, valuable Morrisseau, and that despite what Robinson claimed, her investment was safe. How happy was she under the circumstances?
the Morrisseau Hoax Exposed 