Ely Sakhai
Encyclopedia
Ely Sakhai is a US
art dealer
and convicted purveyor of forged art
.
Ely Sakhai emigrated from Iran
to USA 1965. He become a minor art dealer who owned The Art Collection, Inc. and Exclusive Art art galleries
in lower Manhattan
, New York City
. Among other things, he sponsored the Ely Sakhai Torah Center.
In the 1980s Sakhai begun to visit auction houses regularly and purchased Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. Paintings included works of Marc Chagall
(La Nappe Nauve, Le Roi David Dans le Paysage Vert, Les Maries au Bouquet de Fleurs), Paul Gauguin
, Marie Laurencin
(Jeune Fille à la Mandoline), Monet (Le Mont Kolsas), Auguste Renoir (Jeune Femme S'Essuyant) and Paul Klee
.
According to the FBI
, behind the scenes, Sakhai was making forgeries. He bought only lesser-known works worth no more than a few hundred thousand dollars. He had the painting copied, by Chinese immigrants working in the upstairs of his gallery, took the genuine certificate of authenticity
and sold the copy. Months or years later he would obtain a certificate of authenticity for the original and then sell it. He usually sold the forgeries to Asian collectors and real ones to New York and London galleries. Japanese collectors trusted the certificate and would not commission a European expert to authenticate a mediocre painting.
Sakhai would also buy relatively worthless paintings to reuse the canvas for new forgeries.
Asian art experts eventually became suspicious. Some of the European art galleries noticed that when they put some of the paintings up for auction someone in Japan already owned the painting. Suspicion begun to grow but Sakhai denied having anything to do with forgeries. He claimed that he often consigned paintings to other dealers which put them out of his control. Still, eventually FBI got interested and Sakhai heard about their inquiries.
In May 2000, both Christie's
and Sotheby's
realized they were both offering Paul Gauguin
's Vase de Fleurs (also known as Lilas), both supposedly original. Both auction houses took the paintings to Gauguin expert Sylvie Crussard at the Wildenstein Institute in Paris. She confirmed that the Christie's painting was a forgery; Christie's had to withdraw their catalogue from the printers. They also informed the owners, Gallery Muse in Tokyo. The original painting was auctioned at Sotheby's and Ely Sakhai netted $310,000. However, FBI traced the source of the forgery to Sakhai as well.
Investigations revealed more suspicious deals. On March 9, 2000, the FBI arrested Sakhai at his gallery on Broadway and charged him with eight counts of wire and mail fraud. FBI estimate of his profits are $3.5 million. Sakhai was later released on bail.
On March 4, 2004, Sakhai was charged with eight counts of fraud. He was again released on bail. In July 2005 he was sentenced to 41 months in prison, fined $12.5 million, and ordered to forfeit eleven art works, for the crime of federal mail fraud.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
art dealer
Art dealer
An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art. Art dealers' professional associations serve to set high standards for accreditation or membership and to support art exhibitions and shows.-Role:...
and convicted purveyor of forged art
Art forgery
Art forgery is the creation of works of art which are falsely attributed to other, usually more famous, artists. Art forgery can be extremely lucrative, but modern dating and analysis techniques have made the identification of forged artwork much simpler....
.
Ely Sakhai emigrated from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
to USA 1965. He become a minor art dealer who owned The Art Collection, Inc. and Exclusive Art art galleries
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
in lower Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Among other things, he sponsored the Ely Sakhai Torah Center.
In the 1980s Sakhai begun to visit auction houses regularly and purchased Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. Paintings included works of Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
(La Nappe Nauve, Le Roi David Dans le Paysage Vert, Les Maries au Bouquet de Fleurs), Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
, Marie Laurencin
Marie Laurencin
Marie Laurencin was a French painter and printmaker. -Biography:Laurencin was born in Paris, where she was raised by her mother and lived much of her life. At 18, she studied porcelain painting in Sèvres...
(Jeune Fille à la Mandoline), Monet (Le Mont Kolsas), Auguste Renoir (Jeune Femme S'Essuyant) and Paul Klee
Paul Klee
Paul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...
.
According to the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
, behind the scenes, Sakhai was making forgeries. He bought only lesser-known works worth no more than a few hundred thousand dollars. He had the painting copied, by Chinese immigrants working in the upstairs of his gallery, took the genuine certificate of authenticity
Certificate of Authenticity
A certificate of authenticity is a seal or small sticker on a proprietary computer program, t-shirt, jersey, or any other memorabilia or art work, especially in the world of computers and sports, it is commonly a seal on paper authenticating a specific art work which and is made to demonstrate...
and sold the copy. Months or years later he would obtain a certificate of authenticity for the original and then sell it. He usually sold the forgeries to Asian collectors and real ones to New York and London galleries. Japanese collectors trusted the certificate and would not commission a European expert to authenticate a mediocre painting.
Sakhai would also buy relatively worthless paintings to reuse the canvas for new forgeries.
Asian art experts eventually became suspicious. Some of the European art galleries noticed that when they put some of the paintings up for auction someone in Japan already owned the painting. Suspicion begun to grow but Sakhai denied having anything to do with forgeries. He claimed that he often consigned paintings to other dealers which put them out of his control. Still, eventually FBI got interested and Sakhai heard about their inquiries.
In May 2000, both Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
and Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
realized they were both offering Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
's Vase de Fleurs (also known as Lilas), both supposedly original. Both auction houses took the paintings to Gauguin expert Sylvie Crussard at the Wildenstein Institute in Paris. She confirmed that the Christie's painting was a forgery; Christie's had to withdraw their catalogue from the printers. They also informed the owners, Gallery Muse in Tokyo. The original painting was auctioned at Sotheby's and Ely Sakhai netted $310,000. However, FBI traced the source of the forgery to Sakhai as well.
Investigations revealed more suspicious deals. On March 9, 2000, the FBI arrested Sakhai at his gallery on Broadway and charged him with eight counts of wire and mail fraud. FBI estimate of his profits are $3.5 million. Sakhai was later released on bail.
On March 4, 2004, Sakhai was charged with eight counts of fraud. He was again released on bail. In July 2005 he was sentenced to 41 months in prison, fined $12.5 million, and ordered to forfeit eleven art works, for the crime of federal mail fraud.