Hunter Biden’s art dealer predicts the high-dollar amounts his works are selling for now will be a bargain one day.
Georges Bergès, whose gallery planned to sell Biden’s artwork for prices ranging from $75,000 to $500,000, told Artnet News that’s what he foresees in the future on the heels of a New York art show debut.
“Mark my words,” Bergès said, “all the prices that people are saying he’s worth right now, 10 years from now that’s going to be a cheap Hunter Biden painting.”
Sales of Biden’s artwork have become fodder for controversy.
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Although an agreement was made with the White House to keep the purchases confidential, critics have raised concerns about enforcement of the deal and influence peddling.
Also, not everyone is convinced Biden’s artwork is worth the amount being reported.
“How much of that value is due to the art itself? That’s easy: None of it,” wrote Jeffry Cudlin, professor of art curatorial studies and practice at the Maryland Institute College of Art, in an email to the Washington Examiner in July. “They’re fine decorative amateur work. Hey, everybody needs a hobby!”
Republicans in Congress have also made a show of it.
During a hearing this week with Attorney General Merrick Garland, Rep. Ken Buck showcased a painting by Biden and compared it to paintings by Claude Monet and Edgar Degas, costing $700,000 and $500,000, respectively.
“And you might think that he had some sort of apprenticeship with a world-renowned artist, but you would be wrong again if you thought that,” the Colorado Republican said. “Or perhaps that he has been selling his works for years — and again, unfortunately, you would be wrong.”
Rep. Ken Buck on Hunter Biden’s art sales:
“A single piece of art from Hunter Biden sells for more than the average American home.” pic.twitter.com/JZXhcYRHSi
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) October 21, 2021
Bergès, who insisted the “issue is not corruption,” did not say how much the art is selling for but he did say he is taking a big career risk for Biden.
“I want art to transcend politics, and because of who he is, it’s been mired in politics,” he said. “I wouldn’t have gotten into this with him if I didn’t think that he was a great artist. I put my whole reputation on the line as well, so I better make sure the exhibition is the best that it could be.”
Biden, who has schmoozed with potential buyers, previously said “F*** ’em” to critics of his art sales at two gallery showings in New York and Los Angeles.
“I never said my art was gonna cost what it was gonna cost or how much it was gonna be priced at,” he added during a segment of Nota Bene, a podcast dedicated to happenings in the art world, in July. “I’d be amazed if my art had sold for $10.”
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Bergès joked that former President Donald Trump is to thank for all the attention Biden has received.
“In reality, if it wasn’t for Trump, you wouldn’t even know who Hunter was,” he said.
