Basquiat Forger Arrested By FBI
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, October 8, 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 8, 2026

First major international Zurbarán retrospective since 1987 opens at the Musée du Louvre

LA Art Show returns January 6-10 with GLAAD as new 2027 Charity Partner

Christie's opens October Jewels Online sale featuring over 200 fine jewelry lots

Uncle Roy brings Roy Blakey's life in skating, photography and LGBTQ+ history to NewFest

American Folk Art Museum presents landmark exhibition 'Locating Girlhood' for U.S. semiquincentennial

Two-volume edition published by Zander Galerie pairs On Kawara and Lewis Baltz

Georgia Museum of Art receives five regional awards

Judd Foundation reconstructs seminal 1993 Yun Hyong-keun exhibition at 101 Spring Street

Marco Maggi explores generic materials and cultural criticism at Bienvenu Steinberg & C

First Chicanx art museum exhibition in Switzerland opens with 'Los Four & Friends'

Artcurial highlights Orientalist masterworks and African modernism in flagship Marrakech sale

Pace at Frieze London: Marina Perez Simão solo presentation

Artcurial to auction historic personal collection of Aéropostale pioneer Jean Mermoz

Sophie Calle turns her birthday into an artwork as MAXXI prepares major Rome exhibition

Rekha Rodwittiya celebrates 20th solo exhibition with Sakshi Gallery

Bunkier Sztuki collection of Polish contemporary art travels to Reykjavík

Maureen Paley presents new exhibition of bronze and raw clay sculptures by Rebecca Warren

MOCA Tucson opens Clifford Prince King's first museum exhibition in the Southwest

Castellani Art Museum presents a solo exhibition by AI poet Sasha Stiles

DC Moore Gallery presents 'The Meadow's Edge', a new solo exhibition by Eric Aho

Heritage Auctions names Erik Myers Vice President of Modern Cards

Khalif Tahir Thompson explores memory, tragedy, and Black American identity in new London exhibition




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