Artifact Reading Inspector

Chapter 99: The Medici of the 21 st Century (5)

“What did the other appraisers say?”

“They can’t agree. Some say it’s real… some say it is not…”

“However, which opinion is the dominant one?”

Saatchi looked into Haejin’s eyes. He was trying to find out why Haejin asked that.

“Usually, people do not ask that kind of question because they fear being accused of their purpose, but you don’t look like you’re worried about it.”

“I asked because I was curious.”

“Well, that can happen. There is a dominant opinion. They think it is real…”

“Really?”

Haejin slowly examined the painting that was lying on the floor because it was too big.

It was more than 4m wide and 2m tall.

It had been drawn with Jackson Pollock’s unique drip painting: black lines and various colors filled between them.

Actually, making a fake drip painting good enough to fool experts was too easy.

Jackson Pollock was also an artist of the 20 th century, getting the paints and canvas he used was easy to acquire.

Because of that, Jackson Pollok’s paintings confused many appraisers.

“Isn’t it strange that such a big painting from Jackson Pollock wasn’t discovered until now?”

“I think so, too. The reason it is believed to be Jackson Pollock’s painting is that it was mentioned in his old letter.”

The basic of appraising a painting was checking its source.

Appraisers rely on the source even more than the painting’s quality. Discerning the authenticity based only on the painting itself is like the final resort.

So, paintings without a clear source sometimes make the appraiser not sure of its authenticity.

In that perspective, the fact that the painting had been mentioned in Jackson Pollock’s letter was enough to make the appraisers believe that it was real.

“If you have found out its source, you are right to believe that it is real. Then, why did you spend so much money to bring me here?”

“Mr. Park, I must remind you that this painting is worth forty million euros. It means checking again and again won’t be enough, no matter how many times I do it. Besides, I would be in trouble if rumors get out of a painting going through my hands and it is a fake.”

Forty million euros. It was expensive, but Jackson Pollock’s paintings were all expensive.

“So, it is a matter of trust?”

Saatchi’s smile disappeared and crossed his arms.

“As you know, I’ve been betrayed once. So, I don’t trust anyone.”

He had founded an advertising agency called Saatchi&Saatchi in the 1970s. It was even listed on the New York Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

However, he and his brother were forced out of their own company. So, Haejin could see why he couldn’t trust others.

“That can happen.”

“Interesting. It can happen… the way Asian view things is sometimes unique. Anyway, I am still who I am because people believe that I can be trusted. Charles Saatchi cannot be admired anymore if he can’t be trusted.”

“My appraisal cannot be accurate. Plus, I don’t know if you’ve heard this, but I charge a high fee.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about it. You take 1% of the appraised price of the artifact. In fact, that doesn’t make sense. Who would think that receiving 400 thousand euros after appraising a painting that is worth forty million makes sense?”

Haejin was considering the plane tickets and rooms of the five-star hotel he’d been provided with, so he wasn’t planning to receive the whole 1%.

“I’ll take 0.5%. That’s the international standard.”

Actually, 0.5% wasn’t part of any international standard. Haejin just said the fee of one the appraising agencies that paid the most.

“I cannot give you that much even if it’s fake. I’ll give you 0.5% of the fake’s price, according to the international standard.”

Saatchi accepted the international standard which Haejin insisted on. However, receiving the fee based on the price of the real artifact, even if it was fake, was a rule Haejin had set when he started.

“I’m sorry, but I think I’ll have to go sightseeing.”

“You can’t accept that? Hmm… aren’t you being too greedy?”

“I know it might look that way. However, I don’t have any reason to lower my fee to do this work. When people hear that I’ve lowered my fee once, everyone who asks me to appraise will demand me to do it again.”

“That’s true.”

Charles Saatchi didn’t argue and nodded. He could have said that he wouldn’t tell anyone that Haejin lowered his fee for him, but he didn’t do that.

“Then, I hope you enjoy your time in London.”

Haejin stood up and Saatchi smiled while waving his hands.

“I was joking. Please, sit down. I will pay you the fee. You are more impatient than you look.”

“Haha… I guess I took things too far.”

Haejin was embarrassed. He then sat down while Saatchi pointed at the painting on the floor.

“I’ve spent more than 500 thousand euros on having this painting appraised. I want to stop now.”

It meant Haejin should stop talking and start appraising. Eunhae stood up to sign the appraisal contract with the staff of the gallery. Saatchi waited quietly until they were done.

After that, Haejin secretly applied saliva on his finger, went to the painting, crouched down, and used magic.

He had given up appraising with his eyes the moment he found out that it was Jackson Pollock’s.

Appraising his painting with eyes is like gambling.

And more importantly, Haejin wasn’t interested in abstract expressionism, he didn’t think he could appraise it properly.

The feeling of exhaustion passed, and the painting’s true identity was revealed. Haejin pondered on the vision he had seen through magic while pretending to examine the painting.

About ten minutes later, he stood up and turned to Charles Saatchi.

“What kind of feelings did you get when you bought this painting?”

“Feelings I got when I bought this painting? Why are you asking that? I don’t think it would help you to appraise it.”

“Yes, it won’t help me. I’m just curious.”

Charles Saatchi’s face hardened for the first time. He raised his voice.

“I brought you here to have that painting appraised, not because I needed a counselor.”

Haejin sat down on the sofa and answered coldly.

“I have the answer you wanted. I just wonder what kind of feelings made you buy this painting.”

Saatchi’s eyes shook.

“You have the answer? Hmm… okay, I’ll answer your question. At the time, I felt Pollock’s strong energy. Although his paintings look nasty at first, they are composed quite delicately. I felt that with this painting, too.”

He knew why Haejin was asking that and replied properly.

“I see. Hmm…”

Haejin looked at the painting again and stroked his chin. Saatchi leaned forward and asked, “You may say that I was wrong. I think a forgery that can fool my eyes are great on its own. So, if you are afraid of me, there’s no need to do that.”

Haejin had asked that out of pure curiosity.

Charles Saatchi was a big investor of contemporary art now. He would find talented artists and works of art that could be valuable.

He couldn’t have had magic, so Haejin couldn’t help but wonder what kind of feeling he had gotten from the fake painting. That’s why he asked even though he knew it was rude.

“This is fake.”

Charle’s eyes turned darker at Haejin’s simple answer. Haejin didn’t know how much he had paid for it, but he must have paid a fortune, but he didn’t stir much. It was impressive.

“And the reason?”

It isn’t easy to prove why Jackson Pollock’s painting is fake.

“Have you analyzed the paints?”

“The paints?”

“Yes. I think the paints used for this painting are different from the paints Jackson Pollock usually used.”

“And you can see it with your bare eyes?”

Of course not.

“…”

Charles Saatchi asked in surprise, but Haejin kept his mouth shut and looked away.

Saatchi took it as a yes. He nodded and exclaimed.

“Impressive. As you said, we haven’t analyzed the paints. But I have a question, everyone knows that Jackson Pollock painted with enamel or aluminum paint, and those who were close to him must have known which brand he used. However, how could the forger not know that?”

He didn’t analyze the paint because he had considered that. Using the paint that the original artist used was the basic when it comes to making a forgery.

However, John Myatt was different. He was an artist who was persuaded by John Drewe. He didn’t consider scientific analyzing methods when making fakes.

Nevertheless, his fakes were sold at a high price because John Drewe fabricated their source.

He knew that an appraiser cannot argue a painting is fake if there was a clear record of its existence, even if the painting itself was slightly less good.

And artifacts with clear sources are preferred by auction agencies as they can assure the buyer that it is real and was not stolen.

In addition, the price of the artifacts varies greatly depending on what kind of story and history they have.

People prefer paintings that have a little bit of the artist’s life more than a painting without any record and story.

John Drewe fabricated the source by adding fake documents to archives in museums and the artist’s letters.

“One might make a mistake sometimes.”

“Umm…”

Saatchi couldn’t believe it easily. Haejin then added, “You said this painting had a clear source? That it was mentioned in Pollock’s letter?”

“Yes, I did.”

“You should check that letter again, whether it was really written by Pollock or not.”

Saatchi was shocked. He called someone and instructed them to examine the letter again.

It would go through countless tests including handwriting analysis and, in the end, it would be proved as false.

Until then, this painting was only suspected to be fake.

“Mat Vellin complimented you so much. You are different, indeed. No appraiser has approached this matter like you before. Nothing has been decided yet, but I will pay your fee according to the contract. Please go back and rest, we will contact you when the result comes out.”

“Then…”

Haejin had declared that the painting Saatchi had paid a fortune to buy as a fake. He couldn’t even say something to comfort him and was about to just leave, but Saatchi called him again.

“Oh, and how about having dinner together this evening? I think we have a lot to talk about, apart from the result.”

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