Submitted by Lee Ving, Aug 26, 2008 10:11

Gerard Malanga was Andy Warhol's assistant in 1971. The concept of silkscreening John Chamberlain's portrait 315 times was Andy's idea. Since the work's inception, it was a Warhol. Visit http://www.gerardmalanga.com/ This is Gerard Malanga's official website, in which he states: "Gerard Malanga, poet, photographer and filmmaker, worked closely with Andy Warhol during the artist's most creative period in the mid-Sixties. His several books of poetry, ranging from chic death (1971) to Mythologies of the Heart (1996), have earned him worldwide recognition." It does not say anywhere that Gerard Malanga is a painter, or a silkscreen artist. The body of his work is poetry and photography. He's trying to claim now that he made one painting in 71 and it just happened to be in the style of a Warhol and he just happened to be Warhol's assistant? If this case moves forward and Mr. Malanga is given even the slightest bit of compensation, this opens pandora's box to every artist's assistant who has ever lived or is working today. That's not a Koons, I made it. Warhol was well known for giving work away as compensation for services rendered. In the art world, the official stamp of the A.W.F. can mean the difference between selling your work at auction for millions and having something nice to look at. If Warhol came up with the concept, asked his assistant to produce the work, and Mr. Malanga is now claiming the work to be his own. Who is the real thief? Warhol's idea, screened in the studio alongside the rest of the Warhols, by Warhol's assistant? Am I the only one who can see this? Proper paperwork was not created to document the work as a Warhol? Be serious! haha This was not only Andy's MO, and the practice of many emerging artists today. This case is bad news...

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