Authenticity Disputed

By: David Phillips

January 2007

CHICO, CALIF.—“That looks like one of my paintings,” thought Francis Hogan Brown when he

Francis Hogan Brown, with "Untitled," 1993, two 60" x 40".

first saw the painting Teri Horton claims is a work by American abstract-expressionist Jackson Pollock. Brown says he produced hundreds of canvases in the style of Pollock during a 30-year period and sold many of them in the Palm Desert/San Bernardino area—precisely where the 73-year-old retired truck driver paid $5 for her painting in 1993.

The recently released movie “Who the $#&% is Jackson Pollock?” chronicles Horton’s 15-year struggle to gain acceptance of this painting by the art world and portrays the battle between forensic evidence and art experts. Now Brown has added his voice to the fray. “It’s definitely not a Pollock,” he says. “It may well be one of mine. I would have to take a closer look to be sure.”

Representatives from provenance and art authenticity Web site Fine Art Registry contacted Horton with Brown’s claims. “Back in 2003 I had some [claims of authorship] and I’ve had one this time [Brown], but I just shine them on,” Horton says, adding that the painting’s authenticity is final. She did, however, agree to try and accommodate Brown’s wish to see the work if he ever is in New York.