More than 50 fake Norval Morrisseau artworks removed from the market, his children implicated again
- John Zemanovich
- Jul 28
- 5 min read
BY ISMAËL HOUDASSINE / RADIO CANADA, CBC
Google Translation
A Canadian firm specializing in art authentication has removed more than 50 paintings falsely attributed to Norval Morrisseau from the market. Soon to be permanently marked and preserved for research purposes, these forgeries have revived a sensitive aspect of the largest art fraud scandal in Canada: the role allegedly played by some of the famous Anishinaabe painter's children in authenticating and circulating fakes.
They will not be resold or returned to their owners, Art Experts Canada officials said in a statement.
The announcement, published on July 23, mentioned more than 50 paintings. However, its president and CEO, lawyer Jonathan Sommer, clarified in an interview that the actual number now exceeds sixty.
"The paintings are in our possession. When we say they have been removed from the market, it means we will not allow them to return to it", he explains.
He indicates that the works in question were acquired directly or recovered from clients who brought them in for examination. In several cases, Art Experts Canada waived its fees or refunded most of them in order for the owners to agree to relinquish the paintings.
"This represented a huge amount of free work and, in some cases, money directly out of our own pockets", Jonathan Sommer points out.
Rather than destroying them, the firm intends to keep the paintings in its archives. They can be studied by specialists, presented at conferences, or possibly loaned to institutions.
"We would be willing to lend them to museums wishing to organize an exhibition on forgeries or on the history of Norval Morrisseau," the lawyer stated. "This could certainly make for a fascinating exhibition."
Each painting must be permanently identified as a counterfeit using a process developed by the company, to prevent it from ever reappearing on the market under a false identity. Some, however, may remain temporarily untouched if they are likely to be used as evidence in future legal proceedings.
"The paintings will not be sold as genuine Morrisseau works
and we intend to mark them permanently,
so that there can be no doubt that they are fakes."
Jonathan Sommer, President and CEO of Art Experts Canada
Nicknamed the "Picasso of the North" , Norval Morrisseau is considered one of Canada's most influential Indigenous artists. The Anishinaabe painter, who died in 2007, gave rise to the Woodland School of painting, recognizable by its figures outlined in black, its vibrant colours, and its symbolic vocabulary rooted in Anishinaabe spirituality and storytelling.
This renown has also made him the most counterfeited Canadian artist and, probably, one of the most forged artists in the world . Several thousand paintings falsely attributed to Norval Morrisseau are still believed to be circulating in Canada and abroad.
In 2023, Project Totton, billed as the largest art fraud investigation in Canadian history, dismantled networks manufacturing and selling fake Morrisseau paintings. Law enforcement arrested and charged eight people in connection with these schemes and seized more than 1,000 forgeries.
The majority of paintings currently held by Art Experts Canada have been declared forgeries after comparison with works recognized as authentic. Specialists examine, among other things, their provenance, composition, pigments, brushstrokes, how the colors interact, and the consistency of the symbols used.
Some of the works were also formally identified as forgeries by David Voss, one of the men convicted in this vast fraud case. "He acknowledged them as forgeries in the joint statement of facts relating to his conviction, but they were not in the hands of the police", Jonathan Sommer explains.
For the others, the conclusion rests on the firm's expertise.
More than 35 works authenticated by a son of Morrisseau
According to Jonathan Sommer, about three-quarters of the fakes recovered by Art Experts Canada Inc had previously been declared authentic by David Morrisseau, one of the sons of the now-deceased artist.
"For more than 35 of these works, we have statements signed by him in which he certifies that the paintings are authentic", argues the lawyer.
This finding supports the conclusions of an investigation by Espaces Autochtones that were based on various court documents suggesting that members of the Morrisseau family may have participated in the fraud in various ways.
"David [Morrisseau] signed many canvases, but, when questioned, he said he had never seen his father paint the works he signed", Jason Rybak, the lead investigator on the Totton project, told Indigenous Spaces in an interview conducted in 2025 as part of this investigation.
In the joint statement of facts produced by the Crown and the defence at the trial of David Voss, one can also see canvases which bear the signature of David Morrisseau on their reverse, or which are accompanied by certificates of authenticity signed by his hand.
However, this type of signature is considered by experts to be a significant red flag, though not in itself proof of forgery. Jonathan Sommer is categorical about the certificates he has examined. "All the paintings authenticated by him that I have seen are, in my opinion, and in the opinion of our team, forgeries."
These elements, however, do not constitute a legal conclusion regarding David Morrisseau's responsibility. Furthermore, neither he nor his siblings have been arrested or charged in connection with the counterfeiting to date. "The counterfeiters exploited Norval Morrisseau's children. That's our interpretation. For us, [the children] were not the real culprits", Jason Rybak emphasized.
The paintings signed by David Morrisseau nevertheless fuel questions surrounding the links between some of the artist's children and the networks that created and sold fake works.
Jonathan Sommer argues that family members collaborated with individuals who have since been convicted or designated by the courts as responsible for fraud.
The lawyer points out that this issue is now central to another case. Jeffrey Cowan, an art dealer convicted of four offences related to the sale of fake Morrisseau paintings, is still awaiting sentencing. Hearings will resume on September 11 before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Barrie, Ontario.
In a statement filed with the court, the estate of Norval Morrisseau presented the painter's children as victims of the fraud. Art Experts Canada disputes this version. Its co-founder, John Zemanovich, an expert in Morrisseau's work, has already testified for two days regarding the alleged connections some of them had with forgers.
Jonathan Sommer acknowledges the uncomfortable nature of this intervention, since his company finds itself presenting evidence that could be used to defend a man whose actions it nevertheless condemns.
"We believe Jeff Cowan is a very bad person and we were pleased that he was found guilty. But if we want to tell the truth in court, we have to tell the whole truth about this case", he summarized.
Another hearing will determine the fate of the thousand counterfeit documents seized by authorities during their investigation. It has been postponed, likely until 2027, pending the court's conclusions on the potential involvement of Morrisseau's children.