Basquiat Forger Arrested By FBI
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Sunday, August 9, 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

August 9, 2026

Exhibition contrasts Dutch Golden Age painters Gerard van Honthorst and Rembrandt

Lucian Freud's portraiture explored in exhibition at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Lévy Gorvy Dayan presents Thomas Houseago exhibition featuring curated antiquities

Laumeier Sculpture Park announces reimagined Ursula von Rydingsvard commission

Fortes D'Aloia & Gabriel to present survey exhibition of late artist Efrain Almeida

Mendes Wood DM presents Texture of time by Japanese artist Kenji Ide

The Redfern Gallery presents St Ives exhibition celebrating Cornish art movement

Marina Abramović and Yoko Ono among artists featured in first Cascais Water Biennial

Baró Galeria presents Daniel Arsham exhibition Eroded Horizon in Mallorca

Hanina Fine Arts explores the emergence and rivalry of the divisive factions of post-war abstraction in France

Pippy Houldsworth Gallery presents group exhibition I dwell in Possibility

Norman Manea entrusts literary archive to Berlin's Akademie der Künste following 90th birthday

Film London announces senior leadership change

Sussex-based artist Poppy Jones presents her first institutional solo exhibition at Towner Eastbourne

Four artists challenge perception in new exhibition at Alexander Berggruen

Six international artists showcase work on body and terrain in new exhibition

Alisan Fine Arts marks 45th anniversary with ink art exhibition Tradition Renewed

New porcelain enamel tile mural by artist Harumo Sato welcomes students at new Mission Bay School

MOCAD presents solo exhibition Bend, Break, Mend by artist Karyn Olivier

Ruby City unveils fall 2026: Feminist art, Matt Kleberg, & Chuck Ramirez

Maruani Mercier presents Tony Matelli solo exhibition Sideways Dinner

Lincoln Glenn Gallery presents exhibition dedicated to American women artists

Fondation Beyeler inaugurates its new ensemble with year-long celebrations




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

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