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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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11

Kinkade's Art Firm Loses Court Battle

'Painter of light' must pay two 'duped' gallery owners $2.1M

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(Newser) – Hugely popular painter Thomas Kinkade claims God is his art agent, but a federal appeals court has ruled against his company for putting art gallery owners through financial hell, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The plaintiffs accused Kinkade and his firm of exploiting their Christian faith to lure them into a scheme that made profits for the painter while draining their life's savings.

The gallery owners say Kinkade and other execs hoodwinked them and many others into investing in the company without telling them they would have to sell Kinkade's artworks at minimum price—and then undercut them with discount sales in an effort to lower the value of the artist's publicly traded firm before he took it private. The appeals panel, overturning an earlier decision, awarded the two gallery owners $2.1 million.

"Christmas in New York" by Thomas Kinkade.   (PRNewsFoto/The Thomas Kinkade Company)
Thomas Kinkade is famed for his paintings of Americana, often with religious overtones.
Thomas Kinkade is famed for his paintings of Americana, often with religious overtones.   (Wikipedia)
"Indy Excitement," by Thomas Kinkade.   (PRNewsFoto/The Thomas Kinkade Company)
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11 comments
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veloslug
Jun 18, 09 8:14 AM CDT
They should all be locked away for kitsch trafficking. Reply
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+3
IN RESPONSE:
Chilblain
Jun 18, 09 3:26 PM CDT
LOL !
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0
IN RESPONSE:
drlarrymitchell
Jun 18, 09 5:50 PM CDT
Those Christian-types will get you every time!
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+3
IN RESPONSE:
flame821
Jun 18, 09 8:17 PM CDT
Well let's face it, the more Christian a person claims to be the less you should trust them. Real Christians don't announce it and conmen far and wide have learned to use religion to further their aims, been that way since the Pope first got his funny hat.
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+1
JonmarkP
Jun 18, 09 9:21 AM CDT
He doesn't even paint this dreck - he has a "team of artists" paint them under his supervision. Like paint-by-number, only without the talent. Reply
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+4

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