INTERNATIONAL DALI EXPERTS AND ART CRIME POLICE FIND DALI PRINTS SOLD BY
PARK WEST AT SEA TO BE FAKE – FINE ART REGISTRY RELEASES FULL LENGTH VIDEO

(Phoenix, AZ — August 28, 2008)   Global Fine Art Registry, LLC, announces the release of a 48-minute documentary video about Salvador Dalí fakes. The video includes interviews with a leading German art crime detective, Ernst Schöller, world renowned experts on Dali original works, Robert and Nicolas Descharnes, and international Dali graphics authority, Frank Hunter, Director of the Salvador Dali Archives, Ltd. They examine two prints sold by Park West Gallery for thousands and tens of thousands of dollars at cruise ship art auctions, and determine that they are fakes. In the video, Frank Hunter and Robert and Nicolas Descharnes also examine and confirm many fake Dali drawings and forged documents coming from the Torino based Albaretto family, the source of most of the Dali prints sold by Park West. Chief Detective Schöller outlines the forensic and expert evidence gathered in his investigation which demonstrated forgery of both prints and of documents presented by the Albarettos to "prove" the authenticity of the prints.

In May of 2008 two separate buyers of Dalí Sacra Biblia prints approached Fine Art Registry for help in determining the authenticity and value of their prints. Fine Art Registry arranged with experts in New York, Stuttgart and Paris to conduct an independent examination of the prints. These experts were Frank Hunter, Director of the Salvador Dalí Archives, Ltd. In New York, who assisted Albert Field in the compilation of The Official Catalog of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dali (the Dali authorized catalog of the Spanish artist's prints, etchings and other graphic work); Chief Detective Ernst Schöller, second in command of the Art and Antique Crime Unit of the Baden-Württemberg state Criminal Investigation Department, an expert on Dali forgeries; Robert and Nicolas Descharnes, father and son world renowned experts on Dali original work, used by Sotheby's and Christie's to authenticate each Dali work presented for auction.

The video which is now available for viewing on the Fine Art Registry website and which will soon also be available for purchase in High Definition on DVD, covers the examination and interviews in which these experts determine that the prints purchased are fakes. The purchasers of these prints paid in one case over $7,000 and in the other over $18,000 for what are described by the German detective as poster quality work with fake signatures on them, worth at most, if you like them $75-150 for decoration.

The prints examined are only two examples of the many, many Dali prints sold by Park West Gallery and Park West at Sea to unsuspecting cruise line passengers. The practices of the gallery, which operates mostly on cruise ships, were recently investigated and reported on in the New York Times on July 16th 2008, by CBS's Inside Edition and by Orlando Local 6 Problem Solvers. The results of Fine Art Registry's investigations into fake Dali's are published on the website www.SalvadorDaliFakes.com and these are updated regularly.

"We are continuing the investigation into the sale of fakes, including forensic testing, in order to alert the authorities and also the buying public so that they can avoid being duped into buying forged or heavily overpriced pieces," said Theresa Franks, CEO of Fine Art Registry. "This is why we have gone to trusted experts for their opinions and expertise."

For more information please see the Fine Art Registry Web site www.fineartregistry.com and www.salvadordalifakes.com. For an interview with Theresa Franks or additional information, contact David Phillips at (206) 420 8341 or by email at dphillips@fineartregistry.com.

ABOUT FINE ART REGISTRY:
Fine Art Registry® is today's only high tech solution to the age old problems that have existed in the art world since before the Ancient Greeks: How to establish provenance, prove authenticity and ownership, prevent forgery and fakery, deter theft and, basically, make it possible to create, buy and sell works of art with the security of knowing that they are what they claim to be.As part of its mission to bring order to the world of art, Fine Art Registry also investigates, reports on and provides advocacy for art crime related matters. Full information on FAR® and how the system of tagging and registering art is available at www.FineArtRegistry.com.

The following photographs have been provided to us by the Salvador Dalí Archives Ltd., of New York City. Their provenance is Mara and Giuseppe Albaretto, Turin, Italy.

The Albarettos provided these photographs to the Archives sometime in the mid '90s so that the Archives would have a complete record of their Salvador Dalí art collection.

Each photograph is marked on the verso with information, in Italian (see example). In addition, there are numerous rubber stamps with the name and address of the authenticator, one "Professor Doctor Giorgio Pillon". The information includes the title of the work, its dimensions, and occasionally venues where the work was exhibited. The closing statement reads: "Pertanto certifico l'assoluta auutenticita dell'oppera." Translation: Therefore I certify the absolute authenticity of (this) work. Following this statement is the original hand signature of Giorgio Pillon.

These photographs have been scanned and distributed to Dali specialists around the world. The consensus? The vast majority of these works are fraudulent - not by the hand of Salvador Dalí.

We present these works here in their entirety, for all to see, the largest art fraud ever recorded; the largest art fraud disseminated to the world via the Internet. The perpetrators? Stay tuned.

by Fine Art Registry

The following description of the various ways that cruise ship art auctioneers and associates trick the auction attendees and clients and rip them off for their own profit and the profit of the art gallery they work for, was sent to us by an auctioneer who has worked for three years with Park West at Sea. The auctioneer read other material on our website and wanted to contribute information. For fear of retribution, the auctioneer has asked to remain anonymous. We felt the cruise going public should be aware of this information so that they can avoid being scammed and ripped off at cruise line art auctions - Editor.

"I have been an art auctioneer with Park West for more than three years, and everything you guys are talking about is on the money.

I have a lot of rip-off stories about this company.

Couple of bits of info:

• Park West Gallery pay anywhere from 30-40% of gross sales, depends on cruise line. They pay a royalty rate of 30-40% on the ship's weekly sail, or however long the cruise was for, including buyer’s premium, just not shipping.
• Auctioneers that get caught in lies and problems just get moved to another cruise line
• Park West Gallery tell auctioneers on record to not sell on investment, but encourage it off the record... ALL TOP AUCTIONEERS sell on investment, you just word it properly and its easy
• We prey on the weak! The guest will be told whatever they want to hear to buy the art; we will get you on the Park West Collectors card, and milk it for every cent it has
• ***NONE of the art is a good deal, the sales teams on these ships are good. They know how to suck you in and get you to buy on emotion.
• Auctioneers and associates are paid purely on commission; I've had weeks where I lost money... and weeks where I've made $20,000+.
• It says right on the invoice, YOU CANNOT TRUST ANYTHING THE AUCTIONEER (ART DIRECTOR) has said to you... in all my years doing checkout, THIS NEVER came up once... guests were either afraid to bring it up or just played it off..... or too stupid to figure it out.
• And lastly.... ALBERT SCAGLIONE is a bible freak, he doesn't talk about art once when you meet him, it's all about GOD. He sends every new associate a bible with their name on it. If you heard him speak during the training class you would be freaked out. We all get a good laugh from it.

Returning art when dissatisfied

Dealing with returns (dissatisfied customers returning the art they had been sold) about two years ago I had a good conversation with Mike McHorney - I think he's a fleet manager for Carnival or Royal Caribbean now. He would laugh about returns, saying, "Not too worry, we will do everything possible to make sure the client doesn't get a refund no matter what the situation..." then he would continue on about how they just give people the go-around, never getting any issues resolved. He also talked about how they had a system to make sure no refunds were offered. The whole time he was smiling and laughing while talking about it. Myself and a couple others thought "Wow, this guy is a horrible person," not to mention I heard he's completely useless as a Fleet Manager. Hey big Mike, can you spell incompetence?

The Park West Collector’s Card

The whole point of the PWCC (Park West Collectors Card) is to first get people signed up, get their credit limit maxed without consent of the client, and then max the card!

"Ohh you can’t afford it? Don’t worry... just put it on the PWCC, no payments for a WHOLE YEAR!"

And you would be surprised how many people would fall for this. PEOPLE IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY NOW, you most likely won't have it later, use your heads! That being said, the PWCC was your ticket for doing well during the week.

I'm not proud of this, but I've had clients who didn't come to sign for their purchase so we would just apply it to the card, forge their signature and take the sale. They wouldn't even know what happened until the art was sent or they received the bill in the mail...good luck getting a refund. Every auctioneer I know does this: you bid on something and don't come to pay...we just apply it to your PWCC card. If you don’t have a PWCC card, we hound you on the ship till you do come and pay with another method.

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