Jeffrey's Archer's art now in question

Jeffrey Archer has been convicted as a perjurer and caught out as an adulterer but no one has questioned the integrity of his multimillion-pound art collection. Until now.

A BBC documentary, to be broadcast on Monday to coincide with Archer’s release from prison, will allege that the painting of the Houses of Parliament by the French impressionist Claude Monet, which has pride of place in his London penthouse, may be a forgery. . .

The programme, Archer’s Millions: Liquid Assets, claims that the novelist’s private art collection is worth about £20 million but that he lost £500,000 when he disposed of his collection of Warhol paintings as news of his arrest came to light. . .

Chris Beetles, the St James’s art dealer who has been a friend of Archer for more than 20 years, rubbished the documentary. “Jeffrey has never claimed that the Monet is an original. His art collection is worth closer to £2 million, not £20 million,” he said.

Posted by David on July 19, 2003 3:20 PM