Basquiat Forger Arrested By FBI
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, October 22, 2026


Basquiat Forger Arrested By FBI



NEW YORK.- New York artist Alfredo Martinez has been charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with attempting to deceive two art dealers by selling them $185,000 worth of fake drawings by the famed graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Martinez, a 300-pound Puerto Rico native, is wellknown on the downtown alternative scene. He has also organized large group exhibitions in vacant industrial spaces, including "Playground of the Fearless" in Brooklyn in late 2001. The charges against Martinez, which landed him in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correction Center on June 19, 2002, involve an alleged scheme to sell fake Basquiat drawings, accompanied by forged certificates of authenticity, to SoHo dealer Leo Malca and a second art dealer. Martinez’ whereabouts could not be determined, but it has been suggested that Martinez is a "con artist" in more ways than one, and would use his arrest to seek notoriety.



Today's News

October 22, 2026

Exhibitions Mark Third and Final Year of For Freedoms Residency at Corcoran School

ATADA: What the bylaws actually say

Shannon's Fine Art Auctioneers announces over 200 lots for annual Fall Sale

Artemis Fine Arts brings ancient Near Eastern treasures and Japanese masterpieces to October 23 auction

Basquiat's Leonardo inspired masterpiece headlining Christie's 21st Century Evening Sale

Master of charcoal Lee Bae expands meditative practice in two-floor Paris survey

Sotheby's to offer $42 million group of late Picasso masterpieces from European family

George Washington's personal gift to John Jay leads $12M Sotheby's Americana sale

Alberta Pane Gallery presents Kreëmart retrospective across two Paris spaces

Vintage rarities to independent creations highlights of Christie's Geneva Rare Watches Auction

Whitney Museum presents 'Charles Burchfield: Elemental' exploring nature as a living force

Joan Mitchell Foundation releases landmark report on artist legacy stewardship

National Museum of Asian Art announces Allison Chance as its new Chief Advancement Officer

Collection Council selects work by Adebunmi Gbadebo for 2025-2026 acquisition

Yossi Milo Gallery presents Ibrahim Said's second solo exhibition, 'Shaping Time'

Rediscovering the Maestro Daddesco and the art of manuscript illumination in Giotto's Florence

Municipal Gallery of Athens presents Victoria Skarlatou: Between Heaven and Earth

Anna Zorina Gallery presents Alexander Kaletski's 50-year cardboard survey

Karen Gunderson debuts blue pigments and black light-shift works at Yancey Richardson

National Museum of American History acquires costumes from the Broadway musical "Hadestown"

Palais de Tokyo presents Sonia Gomes's textile-based survey of memory and resistance

Malmö Konsthall hosts Otobong Nkanga's first major Scandinavian retrospective

'Chez Sotheby's': Auction house merges dining and fine art during Art Basel Paris

Armenian Museum of America presents Beyond the Curtain: Materiality and Devotion in Armenian Art

Latvian National Museum of Art presents environmental exhibition 'A Journey to Marsi'




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 




Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)


Editor: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez


Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
       
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful