A thousand years ago, I wrote a play titled Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth. In the opening scene, a group of people wander through the house of a prosperous relative and reflect on her art collection. They specifically marvel at a Maxine Noel, and someone mentions the possibility that it (and other Indigenous artwork) could be forged. One character comments rather nonchalantly, “Someday, maybe.” It was intended as a remark on the growth and popularity of First Nations art at the time.
I did not realize that it was a case of foreshadowing.
On September 5 in Thunder Bay, David Voss was sentenced to five years in prison for art fraud. He and several close associates were found responsible for producing and distributing thousands of Norval Morrisseau fakes from 1996 to the mid-2010s.
Morrisseau, a ground-breaking artist originally from northwestern Ontario, was central to the rise in popularity of Indigenous art dating back to the 1960s. His unique style and bold execution of Indigenous themes earned him the moniker “the Picasso of the North.” He passed away in 2007.
It’s been a bad year for what was thought to be Indigenous art. The revelation that Buffy Sainte-Marie is actually a woman of Italian and English descent has once again raised questions about what may — or may not — be Indigenous. In that context, the growing awareness of the scope of Morisseau forgeries has shaken the Indigenous community.
The man himself was incredibly prolific. Much of his work was based in his identity as a shaman, and innumerable canvasses of all shapes and sizes flooded the Canadian market — primarily because it had a captive audience. And when there is a strong and lucrative market for something, it isn’t long before opportunists come sniffing around. Morrisseau’s occasional battles with substance abuse also made him a vulnerable target for exploitation.
Granted, the Buffy Sainte-Marie issue is substantially different from what happened here. That’s reflected in its effects on the Indigenous community. With Buffy, many had a personal belief in her, her music, and her message. She was part of the family. It was like learning the aunt you grew up with was not actually your aunt. She’d just told you that.
With Morrisseau, the tragedy is that this icon of spirituality and, specifically, of First Nation artistry had his work corrupted, colonized, and subjugated. People today who own one of his works don’t know what to believe — they stare at their walls muttering, “I wonder…”
Of course, there are many ways to confirm authenticity. There are organizations whose purpose is to perform such tasks, such as Morrisseau Art Consulting. Its website promises in large text: “Authenticity Determined.”
"We are committed to identifying authentic and fraudulent Norval Morrisseau artworks," it says, "and to being a key part of the solution to fakes."
As I came of age as an artist (literary, not visual), there was a saying frequently bandied about the Indigenous arts community. According to legend, Louis Riel (I am paraphrasing here as I was not there in the 1800s) is reputed to have said, “I will go to sleep for one hundred years, and it will be the artists that awaken me.”
Riel might have thought it was painters alone who would keep his vision alive, but I was told by a Métis historian that the term “artist” had a broader definition back then. Regardless, it’s a beautiful poetic statement of strength and determination. It’s a pity many believe he never actually said it. Supposedly, a search of Métis written history failed to find that exact quote.
I’ve always found it interesting that this present Era of Pretendians seems to be centered around artists and academics. Joseph Boyden, Michele Latimer, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Heather Rae are just a few of the people who’ve been outed as having the “I think Indian, therefore I am Indian” artistic mentality.
Meanwhile, the descendants and fans of poor Norval Morrisseau must deal with this outrage. Some say five years in prison is a lot for art forgery. Maybe, maybe not. I don’t know. I only wrote one episode of Street Legal.
Art experts say the next generation of this whole identity-theft thing will involve the introduction of artificial intelligence. They say AI will be everywhere.
But maybe the future will pick up where David Voss left off. Still AI, just of a different type.
Artificially Indigenous.