Scottish Artist Behind Picasso Hoax Accused of Attempting to Sell More Forged Artwork

An artist who previously admitted to forging a Pablo Picasso work is once again attempting to sell falsified paintings, according to an auction house based in Methil, Scotland.

In 2015, Dominic Currie made headlines when he claimed to have discovered a rolled-up Picasso inside his late mother’s suitcase, which he said was a gift to her from a Soviet soldier. The work, which was set to be appraised at Christie’s, raised doubts among art experts, with Currie later admitting the story was fabricated as a form of “performance art” meant to bring attention to Scotland’s struggling artists.

Now, Currie is allegedly attempting to sell forged works again. In February, he presented two works to Parker’s Auction House which he claimed were by American artist John Singer Sargent and Scottish painter Jack Vettriano, pieces which would have an estimated value of more than £100,000 ($120,000) if authentic, as first reported by the U.K.’s Daily Record.

The artist claims he wasn’t attempting to sell the works

Currie said the artwork belonged to his late mother-in-law and was recently found in a shed, according to Myra Philp, co-owner of the auction house. While she remembered the Picasso incident, Philp said she didn’t initially recognize Currie as the artist behind the hoax.

However, after consulting local art experts, she established the works were fake. After quickly heading to the auction house to take a look at the Vettriano painting, one expert said: “That’s a Dominic Currie fake,” she recalled.

Parker’s Auction House has since reported the incident to the police. “If we’d gone ahead and sold them, we’d have been in court,” said Phelp.

However, Currie denies that he intended to sell the pieces and claims he simply brought in the works for an evaluation. “It would have been nice if they had been authentic, but it seems they’re not,” he said in an interview.