Collector Chiu Tat-loy may sue after Fu Baoshi paintings called fake

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The 15 works exhibited in Plaza Hollywood are forgeries, says the granddaughter of master painter Fu Baoshi. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 12:00am, 9 Feb 2013Updated: 4:43am, 9 Feb 2013

Keep saying my paintings are fake and I might sue, says the owner of 15 works of art by master painter Fu Baoshi, after the artist's granddaughter claimed works being displayed at a mall were forgeries.

"I welcome connoisseurs to come, examine and appreciate the paintings," the owner of the paintings, Chiu Tat-loy, said in a statement.

"The paintings by Fu Baoshi currently exhibited at Plaza Hollywood in Hong Kong are authentic and I reserve the right to take legal actions against any claim that the exhibits are fakes," said Chiu, adding that he had contacted his lawyer about taking legal action against Jenny Pat, Fu's granddaughter, who says the paintings are copies.

In a 2006 interview, the 58-year-old Hong Kong-born Chiu said he has donated over HK$800 million worth of art and antiques to museums across China.

Chiu, the largest donor of artefacts to the state since 1949, has been accused of donating fakes before. Visitors to wenwuchina.com a forum for enthusiasts of Chinese cultural relics, claimed the entire collection at the Guangzhou Museum donated by Chiu was fake.

Chiu says the artefacts have been authenticated by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and that the paintings in question were bought in 1978, after they had been authenticated by three experts: Shi Shuqing, Qi Gong and Liu Jiu-um.