I wanted to believe him ... then I spoke to the FBI
July 26, 2024 1:06 AM Subscribe
Raising his paddles in every major auction, Philbrick became a constant presence at all of the stops in the “circus,” as art collectors call it: the Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips auctions; Art Basel Miami and Switzerland; Frieze London; the New York art fairs; and beyond. He became the darling of what one observer calls “the new collecting class,” to whom he offered something as coveted as the art itself: the VIP treatment. “You don’t want to buy a ticket,” the observer says. “That’s déclassé…. He was offering access to a lifestyle.” from The Confessions of Inigo Philbrick, Art Fraudster Extraordinaire [Vanity Fair; ungated]
They put this guy in prison for making money off the credulous rich, but people rip off yhe poor everyday, and at worst have to give the government a fraction of the profits.
posted by pattern juggler at 3:23 AM on July 26 [4 favorites]
posted by pattern juggler at 3:23 AM on July 26 [4 favorites]
A great article. What is up with the art investment world? It seems so incredibly shady and unregulated, with huge sums being flung around with almost no verification.
Still, the society at large benefits in two ways. Occasionally an artist funded by this industry will produce a stunning work for the ages. And secondly, every few years an entertaining book or long-form article will be written telling the story of a charming rogue and their clueless victims with too much money, something we can all enjoy.
These articles do tend to play up the charm of the perpetrator while minimizing the threats and violence that these sociopaths can resort to when cornered. Even this article hints that Philbrick might be a nasty piece of work when not turning on the charm.
If you like this, I can recommend the non-fiction book Provenance by Laney Salisbury & Aly Sujo for a similar but even more crazy tale in the London art scene.
posted by AndrewStephens at 5:48 AM on July 26 [1 favorite]
Still, the society at large benefits in two ways. Occasionally an artist funded by this industry will produce a stunning work for the ages. And secondly, every few years an entertaining book or long-form article will be written telling the story of a charming rogue and their clueless victims with too much money, something we can all enjoy.
These articles do tend to play up the charm of the perpetrator while minimizing the threats and violence that these sociopaths can resort to when cornered. Even this article hints that Philbrick might be a nasty piece of work when not turning on the charm.
If you like this, I can recommend the non-fiction book Provenance by Laney Salisbury & Aly Sujo for a similar but even more crazy tale in the London art scene.
posted by AndrewStephens at 5:48 AM on July 26 [1 favorite]
“I was also struck by how few of the people I’ve interacted with since entering the Bureau of Prisons have even a conception of what an art dealer does,” Philbrick wrote.
Amazing he hasn't been shanked.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:22 AM on July 26 [6 favorites]
Amazing he hasn't been shanked.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:22 AM on July 26 [6 favorites]
I dunno "I stole money from some of the most obnoxious rich assholes you could ever meet," might make you more popular in prison.
posted by emjaybee at 7:10 AM on July 26 [6 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 7:10 AM on July 26 [6 favorites]
These people. Ugh.
posted by misterpatrick at 7:23 AM on July 26 [1 favorite]
posted by misterpatrick at 7:23 AM on July 26 [1 favorite]
It feels like the "sophisticated gentleman criminal" stereotype exists to flatter his victims, in some way. They're not being ripped off by some common thief; they've been deceived by a mastermind. I'm particularly unimpressed with this guy. In a field where successful art dealers can bilk their clients easily (price inflation through the purchase of items that do not really have a price until they are purchased, and various add-ons), he somehow managed to do enough blatantly fraudulent stuff to get thrown in jail? True loser behavior.
posted by grandiloquiet at 7:52 AM on July 26 [1 favorite]
posted by grandiloquiet at 7:52 AM on July 26 [1 favorite]
What if Philbrick's grift is his art? Creating a futures market for art he doesn't own might be illegal, but it says a heck of a lot about society.
posted by scruss at 8:09 AM on July 26 [3 favorites]
posted by scruss at 8:09 AM on July 26 [3 favorites]
And of course his associate was a McKinsey alum. LOL. LMAO, even.
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 10:00 AM on July 26 [4 favorites]
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 10:00 AM on July 26 [4 favorites]
“A Russian chess player,” she says, and remembers thinking, “He’s been abducted by Russians. What the fuck has he done?”Okay, now I want to know which Russian chess player owns a plane and leases it to the US government. Kasparov maybe? Any other candidates (don't mind the pun)?
She found a phone number, and what the chess player told her was both a relief and a terror:
“I lease my plane to the US government.”
posted by clawsoon at 11:14 AM on July 26 [1 favorite]
"the noise is like a spring break bar at peak capacity—banter and arguments and all clamoring against the most unforgiving acoustics—linoleum and cement,” he says via CorrLinks, the national prison email system, around which his days now revolve. “There’s constantly a screaming argument about how much money Jay-Z has or if a certain BMW is faster than a Mercedes.”
LOL this is a 100% accurate description of prison.
posted by youthenrage at 1:23 PM on July 26 [1 favorite]
LOL this is a 100% accurate description of prison.
posted by youthenrage at 1:23 PM on July 26 [1 favorite]
MetaFilter: These people. Ugh.
posted by pattern juggler at 1:51 PM on July 26 [3 favorites]
posted by pattern juggler at 1:51 PM on July 26 [3 favorites]
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posted by Czjewel at 3:21 AM on July 26 [1 favorite]