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November 12, 2020 - Droog Magazine periodical for investigative journalism

More fake Hitlers from Florida

to Hitler Forgery Industry index | 2020 | to Droog Magazine




Introduction | watercolors | sketches |

auction policies | past "Hitler" auctions by AA

It is getting tiresome: the endless stream of fake Hitler watercolors, drawings and sketches launched by the dubious auction house Affiliated Auctions (AA) in Tallahassee (Florida, USA).


Most of the alleged Hitlers offered by this auction house don't even resemble the few thought to be authentic Hitlers. Many of the AA “Hitlers” are accompanied by Certificates of Authenticity (CoA) issued by known CoA swindlers as Frank P. Garo, Hans O.A. Horvath and Stephen R. Pastore. These CoA's are in almost all, if not all, cases clear indications for the fake nature of the works.


In the past two years the auctioneer never replied to our critical questions or paid any attention to our warnings that certain items were fakes. It's obvious he is more than aware that the alleged Hitler works he sells as “authentic” are as authentic as the relics of the toe nails of sweet Jesus. In our opinion he's therefore a plain fraudster.


On November 11 and 18, 2020, AA will auction the following fake Hitlers, with this disclaimer: “
Deemed authentic as per auction terms.” What does that mean? Basically: nothing (see Auction policies).


5 watercolors, November 11, 2020
- 2 sold (for $8350), 3 passed.
3 sketches, November 18, 2020






The "Hitler" watercolors

Lot 5277: "Adolf Hitler Original Art St Charles Church Vienna". Start price $380; estimated at $1,5oo - $2,000"
Sold for $1,650.




Description by auctioneer: "Original miniature aquarelle painting of St Charles Church in Vienna Italy. Signed in right corner A. Hitler dated 1914? Heavy foxing to along left edge with some spotting. Measures total 16x11cm, image 5x7cm. Deemed authentic as per terms."

Comment by Droog Magazine: The NSDAP Hauptarchiv bought on August 19,  1938 in Vienna one watercolor of the St. Charles Church Vienna (Karlskirche Wien), a work probably made by Hitler in 1910-1913.  It is believed that this is the same work as the Karls-kirche now in Florence (Florence 9). The NSDAP Hauptarchiv didn't commission copies of this work, as it did with several works allegedly made by Hitler.



Comparison of the Karlskirche at the 2020 auction (left) and the probably authentic  Karlskirche in Florence (right). 


The dimensions of Karlskirche offered at the 2020 auction are much smaller than any believed to be authentic Hitler watercolor.  The dating "1914?" is strange - as Hitler was in 1914 living in München. The signature is strange, too. So it is work is probably an old fake or a   forgery of a older fake Hitler. Probably the most faked Hitler is the Karlskirche: in 1983 thirteen fakes were depicted (no's 251, 253-244) in Adolf Hitler als Maler und Zeichner, also known as Price or the forgers' catalog.

The start and estimated hammer prices are extremely low for a "Hitler" - which is suspicious too.




The reverse side; a stamp print implying that this work once belonged to the collection Gerdy Troost (Gerdy Troost was Hitler's interior architect) and a fake Hitler signature.  
 
As usual, the reverse side proves the fake nature of this work. In his zeal to convince the gullible, the forger wrote an obivious fake Hitler signature on the work, "Adolf Hitler". Yet Hitler never signed his artworks in this way. So, if the signature is fake, then the stamp print is fake, then the work is fake. Q.E.D.


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Lot 5278: "Adolf Hitler Original Watercolor Painting W COA Signed Watercolor Landscape Painting". Start price ca. $1.800; estimated at $7.ooo - $ 10.000". Sold for $6,700.





Reverse


CoA (click on the photo for bigger format)



Description by auctioneer: "Title: Ruins with Sheep by Adolf Hitler (1889-1945). Certificate of Authenticity by Stephen R. Pastore states work is consistent with and executed by Adolf Hitler during his term of service in the German Army in World War I. Signed in lower left corner, measuring 34cm x 29cm. In very good condition. This lot has a reserve.

Comment by Droog Magazine: This is an obvious fake. Hitler never signed his works with "Adolf Hitler". Furthermore the signatures on the both sides of this work do no resemble any known authentic Hitler signature. According to the CoA there exist supporting documents from Ilse Hess. If so, these must be fake too.


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Lot 5279: "Adolf Hitler Signed Watercolor Landscape Painting". Start price $1,000; estimated at $4,ooo - $6,000". Not sold.





Description by auctioneer: "Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German politician and leader of the Nazi Party. Water color painting of Austrian countryside signed in lower right corner A. Hitler. Image measures 11x5 inches, matte with frame20x12 inches. Deemed authentic as per auction terms. Can be removed from frame for shipping per request. This lot has a reserve."

Comment by Droog Magazine: The NSDAP Hauptarchiv traced nor bought a single Hitler landscape. Jacob Altenberg, Hitler's best client in 1910-1913 stated in 1936 to the Viennese police, during an inquiry into forged Hitler works, that Hitler only made cityscapes.

Therefore, and because nothing is mentioned about the provenance of this work, it must be considered as a fake - not even a forgery, as is doesn't resemble any thought to be authentic Hitlers.


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Lot 5280: "Adolf Hitler Original Aquarell Painting W COA. Start price $2.500; estimated at $10,ooo - $15,000". Not sold.






Partial stamp print on the back side; illegible due to low resolution of photo. According to the CoA the print is made by Hans O.A. Horvath.

CoA by Hans O.A. Horváth (click on the photos for bigger format)




Description by auctioneer: "Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German politician and leader of the Nazi Party. Title of painting: Wien Karlskirche (Baroque church located on the south side of Karlsplatz in Vienna, Austria). Dimensions: 23.5cm x 16.5cm. Certificate of Authenticity is in German by Hans Horvath dated 16.3.95. It has been mounted along to top 1 inch edge to matte board to maintain stability, otherwise it appear in very good condition. This lot has a reserve."

Comment by Droog Magazine: The work is one of the many Karlskirchen allegedly made by Hitler. See lot 5277. As this particular work is not depicted in Adolf Hitler als Maler und Zeichner (January 1983), it is probably made after the publication of that book. As in almost all cases, the signature is a fantasy one. All "Hitlers" with CoAs issued by the Austrian Hans O.A. Horváth we traced until now are obvious fakes. This one as well.


Lot 5281: "Adolf Hitler Original Aquarell Painting W COA. Start price $2.500; estimated at $8,ooo - $12,000". Not sold.




CoA by Hans O.A. Horváth (click on the photo for bigger format)



Description by auctioneer: "Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German politician and leader of the Nazi Party. Title of painting: Graz Uhrturm (13th-century medieval clock tower in Schloßberg Austria). Dimensions: 23.1cm x 14.6cm. Certificate of Authenticity is in German by Hans Horvath dated 1.12.93. It has been mounted along to top edge to matte board to maintain stability, otherwise it appear in very good condition. This lot has a reserve."

Comment by Droog Magazine: All thought to be authentic Hitler watercolors from Hitler's time in Viennna (1908-1913) originate from 1910-1913. On it only Viennese city scapes / buildings are depicted. As the date on the work is "1908" and the theme is definitely not Viennese, this work is definitely not made by Hitler.

As this particular work is not depicted in Adolf Hitler als Maler und Zeichner (January 1983), it is probably made after the publication of that book. Or, also possible, this work was once made by an unknown artist signed "A Hitler" long afterwards. on a later.

As in almost all cases, the signature is a fantasy one. All "Hitlers" with CoAs issued by the Austrian Hans O.A. Horváth we traced until now are obvious fakes. This one as well.



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The "Hitler" sketches, November 18, 2020

Lot 3012: "Adolf Hitler Sketch Book Recovered Pencil drawing". Start price ca. $200; estimated at $1,0oo - $2,000.
Buyers premium 18%.





Description by auctioneer: "Adolf Hitler 1889-1945 sketchbook pencil drawing. Signed in lower right corner, WWI period drawing. Some backing remnants from prior framing attached to original sketch. Sketch fully intact with some foxing due to age. Measures 18cm x 11cm. Deemed authentic according to terms."

Comment by Droog Magazine: Hitler never signed his sketches with "Adolf Hitler"; if he signed a sketch at all he used "A. Hitler" or possibly "A.H.". He also lacked the artistic skills to make a sketch like this one.

Also note that no solid information about the provenance of this work is mentioned. The dating, "WW1 period" is pure fantasy. 


Lot 3013: "Adolf Hitler Sketch Book Recovered Pencil drawing". Start price ca. $200; estimated at $1,0oo - $2,000. Buyers premium 18%.





Description by auctioneer: "Adolf Hitler 1889-1945 sketchbook pencil drawing. Signed in lower right corner, WWI period drawing. Some backing remnants from prior framing attached to original sketch. Sketch fully intact with some foxing due to age. Measures 18cm x 11cm. Deemed authentic according to terms."

Comment by Droog Magazine: Hitler never signed his sketches with "Adolf Hitler"; if he signed a sketch at all he used "A. Hitler" or possibly "A.H.". When one compares this sketch with lot 3012, one cannot but wonder over the complete different styles of these sketches, making it unlikely that they were made by one hand.

Also note that no solid information about the provenance of this work is mentioned. The dating, "WW1 period" is pure fantasy. 


Lot 3014: "Adolf Hitler Original Art St Charles Church Vienna". Start price ca. $200; estimated at $1,5oo - $2,000. Buyers premium 18%.





Description by auctioneer: "Adolf Hitler 1889-1945 sketchbook pencil drawing. Signed in lower right corner, WWI period drawing. Some backing remnants from prior framing attached to original sketch. Sketch fully intact with some foxing due to age. Measures 18cm x 11cm. Deemed authentic according to terms."

Comment by Droog Magazine: Hitler never signed his sketches with "Adolf Hitler"; if he signed a sketch at all he used "A. Hitler" or possibly "A.H.".

Also note that no solid information about the provenance of this work is mentioned. The dating, "WW1 period" is pure fantasy.


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Auction policies


Affiliated Auctions: “Descriptions are not intended to be definitive and should be thought of as opinions on the genuineness, authorship, attribution, provenance, period, culture, source, origin, or condition of the property. No statement made in item leads, descriptions, estimate or during the sale should be considered an assumption of liability or warranty. Lots of items that we deem to be questionable in nature will be described as “unauthenticated”. Usage of this term does not imply anything other than our opinion. Artworks described as a work by a specific artist fall into our highest tier of authenticity, however, no qualified statement about the authorship is strictly implied. Artworks described as “attributed to...” are most likely, in our opinion, a work by the artist but there is less certainty expressed than in the terminology described above. (…) The term signed by and/or dated by the artist is believed to have been inscribed by the artist's hand. The term bears signature implies that the signature may have been added by someone other than the artist. (...) Autographs and autographed items are believed to be authentic unless otherwise stated.”

Source: Terms & conditions. Affiliated Auctions, 2020.

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Affiliated Auctions - in the past


On March 8, 2018 this auction house sold six clearly forged Hitler sketches, as being authentic Hitler artworks. All six were accompanied by fraudulent certificates of authenticity issued by Frank P. Garo. The works were sold for $20,800.

In 'The Tallahassee Auction' (Droog Magazine, 09-03-2018) we reported on this case.  

On April 11, 2019 Affiliate Auctions sold another fake Hitler. This one was sold for $ 3,800. We reported on that case in 'A Hitler' in Florida' (Droog Magazine, 03-04-2019).

On June 25, 2019 Affiliate Auctions sold another fake Hitler. This one was sold for $ 7,400. We reported on that case in 'A Hitler' in Florida (2)' (Droog Magazine, 24-09-2019).

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© Compilation Jaap van den Born & Bart FM Droog, 2020.
Photos courtesy Affiliated Auctions.