Pietro Psaier - new evidence?
October 17 2011
Picture: pietropsaierartist.com
This is meant to be a photo of Pietro Psaeir, an artist who was friends with Warhol and whose works fetch thousands at auction. The problem is, nobody really knows if he existed. The regional English auctioneer John Nicholson has held a number of sales of his (frankly, very poor) paintings, chiefly collages, along with occasional sales by the likes of Sotheby's and Christie's. But there have been perpetual reports that the whole Psaier industry is a scam.
Psaier's advocates have a website which claims to have proof of his existence and work, including the above photo. But there is hardly any evidence to go on, not least because Psaeir was apparently killed in the 2004 Tsunami, and both his beach house and body were never found.
Now, writing in the Guardian, Tim Williams has published some further evidence to claim that the whole Psaier industry is nothing more than a cynical fraud. And I think I believe him.
