Nuits-Saint-Georges (France) (AFP)

How is it possible ?

A very small gallery in a village in Burgundy exhibits 35 "unpublished" drawings by New York painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, a great friend of Andy Warhol and one of the most highly regarded artists in the world, arousing the perplexity and suspicion of experts.

Nothing distinguishes the modest stone house with the appearance of a farmhouse from the other rural residences of Nuits-Saint-Georges, a large village nestled in the heart of the prestigious vineyards of Burgundy.

Yet it is here, under the exposed beams of two small dark rooms, that the Volcano gallery, open in mid-September, exhibits in simple showcases no less than 35 drawings by Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of the global pillars of the art market. contemporary art, one of whose works, "Untitled", sold for over $ 110 million in 2017.

"They are unpublished. They have never been shown to the public," assures visitors the receptionist, showing the drawings of heads crowned with thorns typical of the genius of Brooklyn, who died in 1988 at the age of 27.

"It's a hoax", answers Richard Rodriguez, Parisian collector.

"These are rough copies", assures the art lover, known for having discovered three fake Basquiat, exhibited in 1994 at the International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC), in Paris.

The collector, who knew Basquiat and collaborated on several exhibitions on him, admits not having seen the drawings, but only images filmed in a report from the regional channel France 3 Bourgogne Franche-Comté.

"I don't need to see the works. It's so crudely done that it's obvious," he says.

"What is this horror?", Also takes offense Nordine Zidoun, gallery owner specializing in African-American art and who in 2016 organized a major exhibition on Basquiat.

"Even without seeing the drawings, I see that there is a problem," the founder of the Zidoun-Bossuyt gallery in Luxembourg told AFP.

"It is not possible" that it is about Basquiat, still affirms the gallery owner, who points out in particular the absence of signature on the drawings whereas Basquiat signed them "at 90%".

"A drawing by Basquiat is worth between two and three million. They would have 80 to 90 million in their gallery? And under simple windows?".

- The "victim" gallery -

Fred Hoffman, New York art historian who worked with Basquiat, recalls never "giving his opinion" on the authenticity of works by the American artist of Haitian father.

But "it is difficult to imagine a large batch of works that would appear only now", adds to AFP Mr. Hoffman, who was part of the Authentication Committee of the Jean-Michel Basquiat Succession, now dissolved. .

The president of the Estate, the painter's older sister, Lisane Basquiat, did not respond to AFP's requests.

Caught up in the controversy, the small gallery no longer speaks to the press, considering itself in a press release the victim of "influence games by actors who live from the trade in works of art".

Its founders, architects, say they wanted to offer "access" to contemporary art in a rural world.

They specify that their goal is not commercial and that entry to the exhibition is free.

On the origin of the drawings, the Volcano gallery ensures that "several experts" have "affirmed that nothing could suggest" that they were "fake".

However, the gallery refuses to disclose their names, referring to Dominique Viano, a Burgundian artist who says he brought together these drawings from different collectors who had initially acquired them from the American actor Danny Rosen, a friend of Basquiat.

"It's completely absurd," says Lisa Rosen, sister of Danny, an art restorer in New York.

"Danny never had 35 drawings" of Basquiat, she assures AFP.

Dominique Viano, who now refuses to speak to the press, told France 3 to have "ensured the authenticity" of the works, in particular with the Parisian gallery owner Enrico Navarra, a specialist in Basquiat recognized by the family.

This is false, retorts his son, Doriano Navarra, who took over after the death of his father this summer.

"They were not given any authentication," he told AFP.

For the moment, no judicial investigation has been opened, said the Dijon prosecutor's office, but the Central Office against the trafficking of cultural property (OCBC) confirmed having been "requested" by the Nuits-Saint-Gendarmerie. Georges, herself alerted by Mr. Rodriguez.

© 2020 AFP