Expert Says Norval Morrisseau's Children Aided Forgery Scheme

In a new development in Canada's largest art fraud case, art expert John Zemanovich testified on Monday before Ontario's Superior Court of Justice that the children of late Anishinaabe artist Norval Morrisseau were active participants in a scheme to forge and sell his works. The scheme, which involved 1,400 faked Morrisseau works between 2008 and 2021, led to the 2023 arrest of eight people, including Jeffrey Cowan, who was convicted last year. Zemanovich stated that Morrisseau's children were "critical to the success of the fraud" and that it could not have reached such a scale without them. He estimated there are 5,000 to 7,000 authentic Morrisseau works and a similar number of fakes. Lawyers for the Morrisseau estate have not yet responded, but the estate previously stated it aims to bring clarity and confidence to collectors.