The Vienna public prosecutor’s office has closed its investigations against André Heller on suspicion of serious fraud. The Austrian artist and author presented a self-made picture frame as an original by the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, who died in 1988, and offered it for three million US dollars at the New York art fair Tefaf in 2017. Only later was a buyer found.
The works of the graffiti artist Basquiat fetch millions in auctions and hang in the most important museums in the world. In retrospect, the whole thing was a childish prank and showing off, Heller later said of the allegations. He didn’t want to talk about forgery.
The Vienna public prosecutor’s office has now announced that the 76-year-old Heller is to be granted active remorse in connection with the sale of the picture frame with a false designation of origin. The extensive investigations had shown that he had already bought back the frame before an ad was filed and had thus completely made up for the damage caused, it said.