    In the final years of his life Morrisseau fought desperately against the proliferation of thousands of inferior counterfeit paintings, identifying fake and forged works available for sale. Between 1993 and his death in 2007, Morrisseau sent multiple sworn declarations to dealers and galleries demanding fake and forged works misattributed to him be removed from sale or destroyed.
Norval Morrisseau's authentic art Morrisseau's artistic body of work provides us with a Shamanistic slideshow depicting an incredible journey into harmony. If the counterfeit paintings Morrisseau disavowed were true forgeries, rather than vastly inferior fakes, then at least his Spirit and message may have survived. There are now so many inferior counterfeits on the market, Morrisseau's legacy will be lost if we do not separate the wheat from the chaff. Those speaking out about this issue have been sued and intimidated into silence. Those continuing to speak out, in spite of being sued, have been subjected to malicious smear campaigns. I have personally endured 16 months of defamation by those bent on using Norval Morrisseau's stolen identity to commit fraud. Morrisseau protege sued for $17 Million On November 21st 2008 I was sued by nine Plaintiffs for defamation. On 4 December 2008 I was compelled to appear for an injunction hearing. This hearing took place one year to the day of Norval Morrisseau's death. On 8 December 2008, one year to the day I held the Norval Morrisseau Memorial Gathering at Toronto's Native Canadian Centre, the Superior Court ruled in my favour. I filed a second Affidavit in my defense on 5 January 2009 and a Supplementary Affidavit on January 8 2009. These included multiple notarized declarations sworn by Norval Morrisseau directed at the plaintiffs and their sources. The plaintiffs requested an indefinite adjournment and I consented. It has now been 14 months since the plaintiffs sued me for $17 Million, and I haven't seen them since. If you can't beat them....beat them more After the plaintiffs failed to silence me in the higher courts, their associate Joseph "Joe" Otavnik took over harassing me. On 8 January 2009 Otavnik served me with a $10,000 "slander of title" lawsuit, naming the Kinsman Robinson Gallery and me as co-defendants. By April 2009 the Kinsman Robinson Gallery acceded to Otavnik's demands, quietly settling with him by eliminating any information about me on the gallery's website. In the spring 2009 Otavnik sued my roommate, my lawyer and my lawyer's wife to further harass me. On 10 June 2009 I sued Otavnik for vexatious litigation, defamation and harassment. The trials for the two aforementioned actions will be heard in Toronto on 18 March 2010. In the autumn of 2009 Otavnik sued Norval Morrisseau Heritage Society lawyer Richard Baker. Despite earlier settling with the Kinsman Robinson Gallery, Otavnik has once again sued the gallery for providing me with an Expert Report discrediting his purported Morrisseau painting. The other individuals and organizations he has threatened with lawsuits are too numerous to mention here. It is important to note, however, that on 22 October 2009 Otavnik was convicted on two counts of criminal harassment in an unrelated case. Morrisseau.com This was not my vision for the Morrisseau.com website. I envisioned an inspirational and interactive community. This website is dedicated to the memory of my friend, mentor, brother, comrade, chum, hero, misfit and maestro. Norval left us a symbolic trail of art. Footprints that lead out of mundane illusion and into magical authenticity. The sacred scrolls of the Grand Shaman are invaluable. To let this hubris and deceit bury Norval Morrisseau's life's work is unacceptable. The Morrisseau.com website is ours to use to assist Norval. Let's use it to get the word out and bring this crime to an end. Ritchie "Stardreamer" Sinclair
Norval Morrisseau: Authentic v Counterfeit Art For ideal viewing click the second last button above. Inferior Counterfeit Norval Morrisseau Art For ideal viewing click the second last button above. |
