Since 1970 when he exhibited with professional artists, during his undergraduate days in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kolade Oshinowo’s career as a painter has gone through thick and thin. With his achievement as one of the best painters of our time, the icon is battling with the faking of his works. Udemma Chukwuma met him in his studio at Yaba, Lagos and reports
RENOWNED master painter, Kolade Oshinowo, recently took to his Facebook page to write that two paintings, circulating in the market, were not his artworks.
“These are not my works,” he insisted. “They are fakes.”
More confusing to the person who wanted to acquire the paintings was that the works had Oshinowo’s signature. But the style was awkward – definitely not Oshinowo’s. This prompted the person to call Oshinowo to confirm if the paintings were fake. When Oshinowo got the phone call, he requested that the images be forwarded to him. But alas, they were fake! Osinowo, pronto, then posted the images, warning whoever wanted to buy: at your own peril – caveat emptor!
The discussion, with the whistle-blower, as recalled by Osinowo: “Someone is trying to sell two of your paintings to me, but when I saw the images I knew immediately that they were not your works.
“But that my name was signed,” continued the artist, rather piqued, “which is what makes it unacceptable. So I said let me see what you are talking about. When I saw the works, I was furious because stylistically they were not my works. If you are used to my work you will know they are not my works. I zoomed to see the signature – I just laughed! I wondered: how on earth would somebody sit down and be signing someone else’s signature? Why don’t you work hard, sign your name and see how far you can go?” asserted the icon.
Acquiring fake artwork is every collector’s worst nightmare. It is better imagined than experienced, for it is like paying a premium for pure fakery! Meanwhile, that dubious market thrives, as there are syndicates that deal; and often failed artists, that turn to forgery, as fake redemption.
“I believe that this business thrives because some of the collectors are greedy. They want to have a good buy. Maybe the work should be worth N5 million in the market and I just paid N1million for it. Does that even sound right? But some of them, that is what they do.”
On the dealers’ side, ”there is a bit of desperation because they need the money, and some of them can be ruthless.”
The artist again took the reporter through the nitty-gritty of his art: “If you look at those works critically, I don’t paint like that. Some people who saw the works just said, ‘no this cannot be Oshinowo’. If they have copied, maybe my work, I would have said maybe the person would stand a fair chance to sell the work. But the person just took his time to sign my name! That is very criminal. If you can paint like that, why don’t you try and work hard, put your name and build up yourself? But no! They want a shortcut!”
Is this the first time someone tried to sell fake Oshinowo? “No”; and each time such is brought to his attention, Oshinowo does not hesitate to put it out on social media.
Revealing how he got to know about the fake works and who sent the images to him, he said: “I won’t mention names, because some things are done in confidence. I don’t want to betray that confidence.”
As the president of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA), from 2005 to 2007, Oshinowo said the executives of the umbrella body “actually put out a circular to collectors that when they are in doubt they should contact us and we will offer advice and counselling, free of charge; that they shouldn’t part with their money buying fake works. The suggestion I made then was: if you own a smartphone, quickly take the images of those works and send them to the artists. But if you don’t know the artist, send it to us (SNA executives). We will process it for you before you know it.”
This has worked for him since 1972 when he began to paint professionally. “You will know a fake,” he noted. “You don’t need to do any research, once you see it, you will know that this is not this artist’s work. And usually, that is how it has happened.”
Oshinowo said the internet and the smartphone have also helped, as they have made it easier to track fake works. He advised buyers to do research, the routine due diligence, before parting with cash, for a piece of work.
“I expect that questions should be asked, even if the work is genuine, there should be questions asked. For instance, the source of the work? Who owned this work? How did you get to have this work in your possession? Who is trying to put it in the market for sale? You need to ask those questions because the work could have been stolen for all you know. Buyers should ask questions.”
He went on to say if one is in doubt, “still ask questions: was this work done by this artist? In interacting with the person who wants to sell the work, you should be able to get the name of the dealer, his identity, and contact for future references. And if still in doubt, send the image to the artist. If the artist is not alive send it to someone that you know is familiar with the artist’s work.”
More so, Oshinowo said he had seen many fake works by famous Nigerian artists, such as Ben Enwonwo and Yusuf Grillo, being paraded as original. ”I am sorry to say, I have seen a lot of works that are fakes.”
Oshinowo said he sent the images of the fake works to “some gallery owners; and there was a lady who said ‘they are not even two works; they are three works that they sent to her by the same person, including Ben Enwonwu’s works. But she said the person that sent the images called back and said he was not interested in selling the works. Apparently, they must have some exposure and feedback.”
Oshinowo is alive, yet people are parading fake works with his signature: how can this nefarious act be stopped?
“Unfortunately, it’s difficult to stop. You know greed is with man, so long as you have greedy people, the practice would continue. I told you even some of the collectors too are guilty. When you think you have seen a very good buy — I am getting an Enwonwu. They should consider the price first — is that how much that work should fetch? But when they are getting a work that is 20% of the original value, then they should be asking questions. Otherwise, rather than buying it, you end up in the end with nothing. Sometime ago, somebody tried to put an Enwonwu and my works on art auction. Virtually all the works were fake.”
Do you think that this is still happening because as you said, you cannot reveal the identity of the person who sent the images to you…your source?
“Usually, they are known people. I am just saying I won’t want such persons to have their names mentioned. But they know and that is what I said when I was SNA President: when you are in doubt call us. We will offer help free of charge of our services, to prove whether the work is fake or authentic. It doesn’t take time to know.
“Even in the academy, somebody takes somebody’s else’s book and lifts a whole chuck of it, won’t acknowledge the lifting, and pretends as if it is his own. That is plagiarism. This is ongoing in every sector.”
Still, the reporter insists: what do you have to you say to those trying to sell fake Oshinowo?
“You see, the person trying to sell the works is different from the person who is doing the works. It is a syndicate. Sometimes they have a financier, who says ‘produce these works’, that is the person at the background. Then, you have the artist who is doing the work. You have the one that is doing the selling of the work. So, it’s like a chain. Unfortunately, however, Internet and smartphones have made it more difficult to nab the syndicate members, as they have also helped in quickly confirming original and fake art. They don’t take the works now. They only send images for marketing. You know before they would bring the work physically. That way, you can say leave the work and come back in a few days; and then he comes back and he is confronted by the artist. And of course, you can grab the supposed owner of the work! But now you can’t do that because the work is on the phone. And once they know that the secret is out, they just withdraw.
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