Torts

Pop Art: The Value of Hunter Biden’s Art Expected to Collapse With the End of his Father’s Influence

We have previously discussed the controversy surrounding Hunter Biden’s art sales. Many viewed the art as another avenue for political allies to funnel money to the Bidens. That was reinforced when it was discovered that the lucrative sales heralded by Hunter’s allies were found to have been largely the results of purchases by his “sugar bro” Kevin Morris. Now, experts say that whatever value is left in Hunter’s art will likely collapse with his father’s departure — the clearest indicator of the actual value of the art for “investors.” Hunter’s art appears to be moving from an impressionistic to a harsh realism period.

Georges Bergès, Hunter Biden’s art gallerist, contradicted claims of the White House on the handling of the art. Hunter reportedly knew who purchased roughly 70% of the value of his art, including Democrat donors Morris and Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali.

While Biden allies hyped the sales to show that Hunter was a legitimate artist, Bergès admitted that Morris actually purchased most of the art. Morris has reportedly given Hunter millions to cover unpaid taxes and expenses. Hunter only sold paintings to ten people for $1.5 million, according to congressional testimony from 2024. Morris bought 11 works for $875,000 in total.

The drop in the value of art reflects not the volatile art market but the fluctuating influence peddling market. The Bidens are finally cashing out of Washington.

In the meantime, Hunter is facing a bizarre claim from one of his debt holders that, in return for allegedly walking out on over a year of rent, Hunter sent him art made with his own feces to sell. Shaun Maguire claims that Hunter rented his $4.25 million home in California in 2019. When Hunter’s lawyers denied the story, he posted pictures on social media.

Without getting into the merits of this claim, the question is whether Hunter will sue for defamation. I was previously threatened with a defamation lawsuit for discussing the scandal involving Morris. I continued to write about the allegations (and the threat of a lawsuit) but was never sued. It was an example of the scorched Earth approach of the Hunter team. This is such a bizarre story that it is hard to imagine that it could be true. Conversely, Maguire must have known of the litigious reputation of the Biden team when he decided to go public with this claim.

If this story is untrue, it could constitute defamation per se as a statement that impugns his professional and business reputation. A simple testing of the art would tend to establish the truth of the matter. However, there is no indication of any demand for a retraction or notice to sue. Hunter generally has two years for such a lawsuit, but California has a shorter one-year period.

In the meantime, Hunter has pledged to continue to do his art after his father granted him a sweeping pardon for any crimes committed in the last ten years. Given his past excessive spending on a lavish lifestyle, the art alone does not appear to be a viable source of income. However, Morris has helped create a new movie based on his life. Hunter reportedly celebrated the pardon by watching an early showing of the film.

In the end, Hunter’s work may be the ultimate Pop art, work that only holds value so long as Pop is in power.

Of course, if Nietzsche was right that “the essence of all beautiful art…is gratitude,” Hunter has much to be grateful for. For past and prospective buyers, perhaps less so.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”

132 thoughts on “Pop Art: The Value of Hunter Biden’s Art Expected to Collapse With the End of his Father’s Influence”

  1. The most interesting question about the Hunter pardon is – why now? Why did he do it now and not right before Jan 20, or for that matter, on Nov 6? My bet is Biden had a health scare, and Hunter got worried dear ole dad wasn’t going to last to Jan 20. He needed his pardon now, while he could still get it from dad, and he wasn’t going to take a chance on Trump pardoning him.

    2. If he is sentenced he would be a convicted felon. The sentencing in each case was scheduled for later this month. The pardons now mean that his conviction was never completed. He can wait until the end of term to pardon the rest of his family, and others, because they are not facing sentencing.

      1. The distinction is primarily semantic.

        A pardon does not destroy the record of the prosecution or the court – nor contra many on the left or right does it preclude further investigation.
        It merely removes all future consequences. It is more than a get out of jail free – your RIGHTS are restored as if the crime pardoned never happened.
        So as an example you can vote.

  4. “A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns.“
    —Mario Puzo. (The Godfather)

    I would add “a crooked politician” to that statement.

  5. Jonathan: Talk about the bizarre. Why is it you just won’t let Hunter go? Now that Hunter has his pardon no one really cares about Hunter any more. You won’t find any media coverage of Hunter’s art and its value. Frankly, Hunter’s art work doesn’t impress me. But Hunter was fortunate. He had benefactors like Kevin Morris who stepped in to buy his work to help hem with his enormous legal and other expenses.

    How is Hunter’s art sales any different than the other benefactors who support struggling artists? Vincent Van Gogh had his brother Theo. In the 1920s in Paris, Gertrude Stein bought up the work of struggling artists like Picasso and Matisse. So the largesse of Kevin Morris is not really remarkable in the history of art sales. The only “controversy” is that created in your columns!

    1. The feckless Hunter’s story will not end, so long as he is alive. Every position he has attained in life, but one*, he has attained through his father’s influence. What will happen to Hunter when Joe can no longer benefit him?
      *The husband of the best friend of Hunter’s first wife from college got him a job.

    2. “How is Hunter’s art sales any different than the other benefactors who support struggling artists? The only “controversy” is that created in your columns!”

      None of your other struggling artists had fathers who were the leaders of their country. None took up being struggling artists while under investigation with that corrupt father for selling out their country for bribes.

      You’re struggling to manufacture controversy Dennis.

      1. “None of your other struggling artists”

        None of your other struggling artists tried to palm off their soiled Charmin! for loan repayment. Is “wet fart art” painted on BVDs now legitimately fungible (or should that be “fudgible”?) as well?

    3. OK, I will, I went to a bazaar once, and there were all these persian rugs and hookah pipes, and a smell of incense in the air. I wanted to buy a gift for my true love, but all the shops were closed, save one. Fatima waited on me when she finished her cell phone call, and she looked at me with disdain. Gazing up into the darkness, I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.”

    4. Why are you obsessed with Trump bibles and golden sneakers ?

      To both you and Turley – they value of anything is what a willing buyer and a willing seller agree to.
      There is no other value.

      No one is forced to buy Trump golden Sneakers.
      No one is forced to buy Hunter’s art.

      In the future each may prove a worthwhile investment or a boondoggle.
      Depending on whether people want to buy Trump sneakers or Hunter Art in the future.

      There is some slight legal interest in Hunters art on this blog because to many it seems like it is really money laundering.

      1. “they value of anything is what a willing buyer and a willing seller agree to.”

        The key word is “willing”, denoting a completely voluntary transaction. That does not apply to the allegation that Hunter Biden proffered payment in the form of some kind of book consisting of fecal matter somehow prepared in book form for hundreds of thousands of dollars in back rent he owed. He apparently assumed that his creditor would be forced to accept any payment he offered as valid because of his family connections, and that he could therefore consider the debt fulfilled. That was what Shaun Maguire claimed happened. I see no possible way that the implication of force is not involved in that assumption. That is beyond the meaning of the word arrogance, some new epithet is required.

    5. @Dennis/Gigi
      Thank you for your wonderful insight that I had failed to consider!! The possibility that Van Gogh, Picasso and Matisse were overextended because of failing extortion rackets had never entered my mind.

  6. Ås an American, How do you explain this soon to end presidency and the escapades of the president and his miscreant son. I am looking at this from the point of view of a parent and talking to children, usually preteens. By 12-13 many children all already being inculcated with the biases of their parents and what you say gets drowned out by all the noise out there. And the usual response is to take on their parents’ biases fully or (as a contrarian) fully reject them. How do you explain this to those children. How do you explain a president who has done what he has done and why. You really cannot use this as a morality play except to say that no morals were ever in evidence here. Is it a lesson in politics and is it the worst of politics or the best or is it midlin’. Seems like a very bad example to me, but I admit my bias. I admit no president is an angel but this president seems to be Amoral and this was apparent before his brain calcified and sentient thought ended.
    Can you argue that this is a father’s love that is totally forgiving. I think that is insane. We know what happens when dogs and children are given total license to do anything and never corrected or admonished about their behavior. I have rarely seen a child self correct when the parent was totally incompetent. It happens but is rare. This was a child where no limits were ever set.
    There is no insight or understanding in this president. I have watched him since the Clarence Thomas hearings for the Supreme Court and was totally unimpressed by Biden’s lack of spine, lack of knowledge, and lack of morality. I was aghast when Obama elevated this waste of space to the vice presidency. Obama could have ended this with a word but never had the backbone to come out and stop Biden before he ever ran for the presidency. But he lacked the moral courage to step out and say it.
    Obama now pontificates on unity and negotiation when he showed little to none of this himself. Obama ran twice and was so impressive that his vote totals dropped by almost 5 million from 2008-2012. Trump on the other hand has gained more votes each time he has run. Read those tea leaves.
    And now they want to pardon all the co-conspirators. Do it then but those pardoned should never again walk by an open window over 2-3 stories up. You have to be careful of those windows.
    Joe Biden is so toxic that if he dies in Delaware, they will probably have to call the area a toxic waste site and evacuate the state.

    1. GEB,
      At this point in time, the only thing the Biden’s have left is selling pardons. They dont have anything else. As you point out, they are toxic.

    2. You said, “We know what happens when dogs and children are given total license to do anything and never corrected or admonished about their behavior.”

      Well, I know what the bad little dogs do! They chew up the stem of your favorite pipe, the Whitehall Washington Park with the meerschaum lining! Even though they have popsicle sticks, rawhide chews, two different kinds of chicken stick chews, and a houseful of cats to nibble on, they go for your favorite pipe! True, it was the cheapest used pipe I ever bought, $8, and I have a gazillion others. I have been smoking a pipe since I was 16, and I have Preben Holms, and other fine Danish pipes, my Prince Amled, for example. Not to mention a plethora of Morris Glyns, the minimalist pipe maker from Cape Cod, but I really enjoyed that dang pipe. I threatened Peanut with sending her to McMurdo Station, in Antarctica. She hates the cold, and she is scared to death of huskies, since there is one who gets loose in the neighborhood on occasion, and it has a wild look. But I digress,

  7. Professor Turley: Thank you for reminding your readers that it was Morris, not Hunter, who footed the bill for Hunter’s unpaid taxes. Several published voices, who defended Biden’s pardon of Hunter, attempted to make the case that Hunter was treated differently from others “similarly situated” because he had paid his taxes.

    1. correction: this is what I meant (hoping others will excuse my poor wording):

      “[Joe Biden] said others ‘who were late paying their taxes because of serious addictions, but paid them back subsequently with interest and penalties, are typically given non-criminal resolutions,’ arguing that ‘Hunter was treated differently. But prosecutors say Hunter Biden continued to commit tax crimes even after he was sober.”
      https://www.factcheck.org/2024/12/what-biden-left-out-of-pardon-statement/

  8. Really, Turley, with your almost Inexhaustable fondness for puns, I am astonished that you refrained from the obvious “Po(o)p Art”. Coarse? Perhaps. Distasteful? I hesitate to respond. But we live in vulgar times. On a Saturday, you can let your hair down a little.

      1. Cionnath-That’s going to take a lot of washing, and don’t forget a brush for under the fingernails. Just to be sure.

  10. Gotta admit, this is fun to watch! The Biden name and access is falling fast. What will they do once out of the WH? They are damaged goods. They dont have anything to offer. Who is going to pay them for a book or speaking fees?

  11. Ronald Reagan would have disowned many of you for not wanting eastern Europeans to be as free as you are.

    1. Being the strong president he was, Russia would of never invaded the Ukraine in the first place. That is what happens when you have such a weak president. As we have seen, all our enemies have been emboldened by the weak, Biden admin. If Trump can negotiate a peace deal, many Ukrainians, Russians, and EU members would all be cheering for peace.

    3. Now we’ve got foreigners explaining Reagan to us. Tiresome. How many more hundreds of billions of dollars do you want? The gravy train does not go on forever.

    5. It’s a real shame that Eastern Europeans – the Ukrainians who no longer have elections since we provoked Russia into war and now the Romanians who have had their democratic election nullified – no longer have democracy, we have Macron doing a gun seizure (with the arms going to Ukraine (you can’t make that up can you)) as he whimpers out of power as a lame duck, we have the uniparty here in the US taking an unprecedented interest in each and every cabinet position appointment of an overwhelmingly elected POTUS-elect – and you think Ronald Reagan would have disavowed the Pro-Trumpers?

      LOLOL. Seriously, you cannot be that f’in stupid and/or corrupt, can you?

  12. Just, YUCK!…for the man-sized overly endulged boy degrading the wirld of art and his straw-blown BS, only out done by his actual cra*.

  13. The wise investor(s) will now have to deal with the daunting task of disposing of this trash. They will likely have to funnel cash somewhere to have it hauled away.

    1. “The wise investor(s) will now have to deal with the daunting task of disposing of this trash. They will likely have to funnel cash somewhere to have it hauled away.”

      That needs to be taken to an extremely high level hazardous waste disposal facility. The Bidens all belong in there as well (living or dead on arrival; makes no difference to me).

  14. Well, Then, by All Means, Let’s Put Hunter Under Oath Now
    Hunter Biden no longer has Fifth Amendment protection.
    By: Scott McKay ~ December 2, 2024
    https://spectator.org/lets-put-hunter-under-oath-now/
    (I say Bring it On! with lots & lots of Request for Production – A pardon won’t erase The Paper Trail)

    At MSNBC, Rising Tensions Fuel Fears of Collapse
    The network has lost half of its viewership and is being spun off into a separate company.
    MSNBC’s postelection viewership decline has surpassed its executives’ worst fears. Several top shows have lost more than half of their viewers since Nov. 5. This includes Rachel Maddow’s flagship show, as well as Joy Reid’s ReidOut, The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle, All In with Chris Hayes, and Inside with Jen Psaki. Morning Joe has suffered a fate nearly as bad, with hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough losing over 400,000 viewers in the same period.
    By: Ellie Gardey Holmes ~ December 3, 2024
    https://spectator.org/at-msnbc-rising-tensions-fuel-fears-of-collapse/

    Gavin Newsom Breaks With Biden to Set Up Presidential Run
    Biden is toxic for those seeking the Oval Office.
    By Ellie Gardey Holmes _ December 6, 2024
    [Link] spectator.org/gavin-newsom-breaks-with-biden-presidential-run/

    1. A legal question for the good professor: As I recall, Hunter could be disbarred for lying on the ATF Form 4473, bc that could be considered a crime of moral turpitude.
      Does his pardon mean he can no longer be disbarred?

      1. Not necessarily. It appears that the pardon was only for crimes or alleged crimes which were or could (should) have been prosecuted by the United States or a state, or to which Hunter confessed or negotiated a plea. Disbarment by the United States Supreme Court, if an attorney is admitted to practice before it, or a state supreme court is a separate, civil matter, not requiring a criminal conviction, confession or plea. If there is evidence that the attorney committed the underlying acts, or admits to them, and the acts are serious enough violations of the applicable ethics or professional responsibility code (depending on the Supreme Court’s rules or the state where he or she is licensed), disbarment can be ordered.

        New York disbarred Richard Nixon despite Gerald Ford’s pardon. Bill Clinton’s situation is a little more complex, but – tidbit – there is evidence that, as President, he assisted in getting Hunter into his law alma mater, Yale.

        As a practical matter, of course, people at this level need not worry; it’s not like they need to practice law to keep a roof over their heads.

  16. How does Shaun Maguire know that the poop belonged to Hunter? It could have come from Dr. Jill or any one of the ladies on The View. Whoopi is full of the stuff and happy to give it away. .

    1. “How does Shaun Maguire know that the poop belonged to Hunter? ”

      Maybe he signed the art in shite, and the handwriting is a match?

  17. The opportunity for a play on words is endless here.
    It is so sad that the well-heeled son-of a-soon to be former president has gotten away with basically everything and now wants to be at the heart of polite society.
    I’m a firm believer in second chances, but it requires change – And I just don’t see that.

  18. No one bought that “art” for its artistic merit, they were purchasing access, much like the groveling political influence crowd, the Ukrainians, and the Chinese. Now they are stuck with odd scraps of doodles and influence in an irrelevant political part.

  19. From Pop Art to Poop Art, is there nothing this super intelligent man can’t do? What a guy.

    1. Severe limitations on terms is the only cure for the politicians but the larger problem is the unionized useless and partisan bureaucracy. That is where most of our budget money goes. Get rid of the union (it is an unconstitutional conflict of interest) and start a pure merit system and re-assess each employee and limit their scope of duties – no more writing legislation that politicians never read but just sign on to.

      1. “is the only cure for the politicians”

        I have always been suspicious of term limits as the answer because I perceive a real risk that the result could be a parade of elected figurehead pols who are 100% run by back room bosses. That would fail to produce change, and would reduce transparency to even less than what currently exists. However, at this point, we may as well take a shot at it, nothing else seems to have any chance of working. Sad to say, I don’t think this last election will change squat in respect to this problem.

        1. (real risk that the result could be a parade of elected figurehead pols who are 100% run by back room bosses.) You don’t think that this is how we got the biden/harris ticket and then the harris presidential run… The original founding fathers thought that our elected representatives should view their obligations in addition to their own personal lives, not as a substitution for a real job. The problem lies with “We The People” who seem, for the most part, to be to lazy to do their due diligence and only vote for true representatives with their only motive being serving the citizens – not enriching themselves, family and laying out a great future as a lobbyist etc. after leaving office. They system is broke and the citizens don’t seem to be interested in doing their jobs – they would rather turn it over to jackals on both sides of the aisle – especially those who are living off of the government systems.

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