Althouse: "She had no clue, she said, that the piece — for sale in a box with a plastic cow and a Paul Bunyan doll

April 5, 2013

"She had no clue, she said, that the piece — for sale in a box with a plastic cow and a Paul Bunyan doll — was a real Renoir."

"She had no reason to think the painting could have been stolen art and subject to FBI forfeiture."

Is Marcia "Martha" Fuqua an "innocent owner" within the meaning of federal law?

18 comments:

SteveR said...: I know the legal issues aren't as straight forward as common sense dictates but why would it not go back from where it was stolen from?; 4/5/13, 4:09 PM
Big Mike said...: Based on what was in the article, "Martha" certainly has the skills to recognize that it might be a real Renoir, and her appreciation of art told her that despite being found in a flea market it was beautiful. But if it really was found in a box of junk she should get the benefit of the doubt. How does one determine the veracity of her story?; 4/5/13, 4:18 PM
Cody Jarrett said...: Of course she is. It's up to them to prove otherwise.

Certainly she had the potential to possibly recognize it as a real work of art--but who cares? People do find treasures among the junk of a flea market.

Besides: screw the FBI.; 4/5/13, 4:22 PM
SteveR said...: Mom stole it; 4/5/13, 4:30 PM
Oso Negro said...: Who the Fuqua knows?; 4/5/13, 4:38 PM
Lipperman said...: Martha Fuqua.
Say that 10 times fast.

I'm betting Marcia will!; 4/5/13, 4:41 PM
FleetUSA said...: Oops, not clean hands:

Fouquet, 84, has artistic roots in Baltimore. She graduated from Goucher College with a fine arts degree in 1952 and earned a master’s degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1957. In her thesis, she briefly analyzes a Renoir portrait.; 4/5/13, 4:45 PM
edutcher said...: Burden of proof, as Steve notes.

That and Antiques roadshow has been on the air how long proving people don't know what they've got.; 4/5/13, 4:45 PM
PB said...: that's a long time to keep a secret.; 4/5/13, 4:46 PM
MadisonMan said...: How does one determine the veracity of her story?

Agreed. Given that it was lost from a Baltimore museum, where her Mom, the Art Dealer worked/lived, I'm suspicious. Does the seller say that it was in that box of junk sold at the Flea Market? That would be some nice corroborating evidence.; 4/5/13, 4:48 PM
lemondog said...: Appraised at only $22,000?; 4/5/13, 5:13 PM
David said...: Not according to the Washington Post she is not. What a pile of innuendo.; 4/5/13, 5:21 PM
Basta! said...: She doesn't remember the exact flea market or vendor, and the feds and press haven't been able to ID a particular seller either.

When her brother was first reached for comment, he said: Flea market? Hell no, that painting was my mother's, she had it for 50-60 years." Oops. Now he's backtracking.

Ms. Fuqua is almost perfectly named for a middle school gym teacher, which job she did for years --- oh Mizz Fuckwad.; 4/5/13, 6:42 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: I don't think there's any mystery here. Seems pretty obvious that the flea market story is fabricated.; 4/5/13, 8:29 PM
The Godfather said...: Before drawing any conclusions, remember that you are getting your facts from the Washington Post. Any similarity between any Post story and the actual facts is purely coincidental.; 4/5/13, 9:05 PM
Steven said...: As innocent as OJ.; 4/5/13, 9:08 PM
Unknown said...: It sounds fishy.; 4/5/13, 10:40 PM
Aridog said...: Miss Scarlett collaborated with the Reverend Mr. Green to steal it from Colonel Mustard, then working for the BMA. Professor Plum told me so.; 4/6/13, 7:05 AM