An art wholesaler investigated for selling phoney Aboriginal artefacts imported from Indonesia has exposed the breadth of use of non-existent “pseudonyms” to cash in on the success of legitimate indigenous artists.
Australian Dreamtime Creations and its director, Tony Antoniou, are under investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for engaging in misleading conduct and making false representations about the country of origin of goods.
Antoniou faces the Federal Court in July. He is alleged to have sold fake Aboriginal artworks under the made-up name “Ubanoo Brown”.
Yesterday, he said he had imported wooden ornaments from Indonesia and employed a white graphic artist in Adelaide to paint them in “ochre, earth and opal” cross-hatching.
