Florida pastor sentenced for attempting to sell forged Damien Hirst artworks
A Florida pastor received a six-month jail sentence after attempting to sell counterfeit Damien Hirst paintings. Kevin Sutherland, an amateur collector, purchased several forged works from California art dealer Vincent Lopreto, who had admitted to flooding eBay with fake Hirst pieces. When Sotheby's declined to authenticate one of Sutherland's acquisitions, he proceeded to market that work along with five others obtained from Lopreto without revealing the authentication refusal. The case originated from an investigation into Lopreto's forgery operation. Sutherland believed the artworks were genuine when he bought them. The sentencing occurred in May 2014. This legal action highlights authentication challenges in the art market.
Key facts
- Kevin Sutherland was sentenced to six months in jail
- Sutherland attempted to sell forged Damien Hirst paintings
- Vincent Lopreto admitted to selling Hirst forgeries on eBay
- Sotheby's refused to authenticate one of Sutherland's works
- Sutherland bought multiple forged works from Lopreto
- Sutherland tried to sell six paintings without disclosing authentication issues
- The case stemmed from an investigation into Lopreto's activities
- Sutherland believed the artworks were authentic when purchased
Entities
Artists
- Damien Hirst
- Kevin Sutherland
- Vincent Lopreto
Institutions
- Sotheby's
- The New York Times
- eBay
Locations
- Florida
- Laguna Beach
- California