In a fulsome letter dated 11 February 2017, Prince Charles (as he then was) thanked British socialite James Stunt for lending 17 work to Dumfries Home, the Scottish mansion Charles narrowly saved from being offered in 2007 and which is now a part of the charitable King’s Basis.
The letter, topped with the crest of Clarence Home, partly reads: “Pricey James. It was a terrific unhappiness that you simply had been unable to come back to Clarence Home the opposite day when Malcolm Rogers appeared along with your marvellous photos. I can’t inform you how thrilling it was to see these work—particularly the 2 Van Dycks—and it will likely be a terrific deal with to have them at Dumfries Home.
“…Your kindness and generosity are really outstanding and I recognize such a gesture greater than you may ever know… I do hope that in considered one of my forthcoming visits to Dumfries Home it is possible for you to to hitch me and see all of your magnificent paintings on show?” It’s signed “Yours most sincerely, Charles”.
The “marvellous” work—which included a “Monet”, a “Salvador Dalí”, a “Chagall” and a “Picasso”—had been among the many works lent by Stunt, in a mortgage settlement signed by him and by the Prince’s aide on the time, Michael Fawcett. Nevertheless it turned out that a number of of the work had been fakes, not too long ago turned out by a convicted artwork forger by the identify of Tony Tetro.
The Royal Stunt
Now a brand new documentary, The Royal Stunt, brilliantly directed by Kief Davidson, unwraps this advanced story of counterfeiting, disappearing work and misrepresentation. (Disclosure: I make a quick look within the movie).
The movie is dominated by two folks: Tetro, the baby-faced forger, now wanting a bit worse for put on and dreaming of retiring to Costa Rica; and Stunt, who by the way is the godson of the gangster Terry Adams.
Within the documentary Tetro says he thought he was making the works only for Stunt, however throughout a go to to London, noticed paperwork that exposed they had been being handed off as real and loaned to Dumfries home.
The movie performs intensive, foul-mouthed social media rants—since deleted—by Stunt, the one-time playboy who overtly admits to snorting cocaine and utilizing intercourse staff.
Initially, Stunt was comfortable to point out off his artwork assortment to an interviewer—Tetro says he recognises a few of his handiwork there as nicely—and proudly displays round 20 framed letters from Prince Charles, thanking him for his loans. These royal letters are real. The provenance letters legitimising the Dalí, the Monet and the Picasso, nevertheless, weren’t—these works had been additionally fakes.
The movie traces how journalists on the Mail on Sunday labored with the filmmakers to unpick the story, contacting the beefy bodyguard who was employed by Stunt—and his head of safety, each of whom dish the grime on their former boss.
Extraordinarily regrettable
All of it is extremely embarrassing for the Prince’s Basis (because it was then identified). The muse said on the time that the affair was “extraordinarily regrettable” and that the photographs had all been returned to Stunt. And but three Tetro work have apparently by no means been discovered, with Stunt denying he has them.
The movie additionally clarifies why Stunt did it within the first place: by placing vastly inflated values on the artwork, he hoped to borrow thousands and thousands of {dollars} towards them. The producer, Giampiero Ambrosi, interviews a dealer who tried to put them, solely to grasp that the $300m valuation was a fantasy.
What stays unclear, and moderately stunning, is how King Charles or his advisers may have been hoodwinked so comprehensively. The monarch has one of many best artwork collections on the planet; he didn’t actually need these further work as Dumfries Home is already nicely stocked with artwork. And why did his advisers not take a more in-depth take a look at the works?
As for the present location of the work, the movie doesn’t say, and Stunt has gone to floor, refusing a later try to interview him. Additionally refusing to be interviewed is Malcolm Rogers, the previous director of the Museum of Fantastic Arts in Boston, who “promoted” no fewer than 14 works from “circle of”, “studio of” or “follower of” to autograph works, thereby vastly rising their worth. Fawcett didn’t reply to requests for remark and Clarence Home issued the assertion talked about above.
“Investigating the movie was endlessly fascinating, with new twists and turns at each step,” says producer Ambrosi. “What strikes me is that individuals who may have or ought to have blown the whistle at each flip both actively colluded or just averted their eyes.”
The Royal Stunt is at present within the technique of partnering with distributors.
