Ont. men plead guilty for roles in art fraud ring involving works of Norval Morrisseau

Two men convicted of being involved in a fraud ring that authenticated and sold purported works of late renowned Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau.

Two men accused of being involved in a fraud ring that authenticated and sold purported works of late renowned Indigenous artist Norval Morrisseau have pleaded guilty.

David Paul Bremner, 78, admitted to being part of an art forgery network by producing certificates of authenticity for artworks falsely marketed and sold as genuine pieces by the late artist.

Morrisseau, often called the “Picasso of the North,” is widely recognized as the grandfather of contemporary Indigenous art in Canada. Morrisseau passed away in 2007. For years his estate has fought forgeries that flooded the art world market.

As part of his guilty plea, Bremner admitted to producing and using forged documents related to fake Morrisseau artworks, as well as possessing property obtained through crime with the intent of trafficking.

Bremner admitted he authenticated, appraised and/or otherwise handled art works provided by one of his co-accused, Jeff Cowan. The allegations against Cowan have not been tested in court.

Jim White, 84, pleaded guilty in June. White, who is from Essa Township, was at the centre of it all, involved in marketing and selling hundreds of fake Morrisseau art around the world, some pieces sold for tens of thousands of dollars.

White pleaded guilty to producing forged documents and to possession and trafficking of more than 500 pieces of fake art.

Two others co-accused pleaded guilty last year and were sentenced to five years in prison.

As part of his plea, Bremner admitted to “turning a blind eye” to suspicions the works were forgeries and that he took inadequate further steps to verify their authenticity and proceeded to authenticate the art anyway. Some pieces he authenticated sold for more than $30,000, with another fetching close to $100,000.

Bremner admitted he knew his certificates were being used to authenticate and legitimize the artworks and that his certificates were relied upon by White and others to sell the pieces, despite never having received formal training to authenticate Morrisseau works.

Bremner, the court heard, collected about $150 from the sale of each piece. About 900 pieces were seized as part of the joint investigation by Thunder Bay Police and the OPP.

Bremner and White are scheduled to be sentenced next month.