As Republicans in the House of Representatives continue to push for an investigation into the sales of Hunter Biden’s artwork, Business Insider published a report on Monday that claimed to reveal at least two buyers of these pieces: Democratic donor Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali and Kevin Morris, a financial backer and friend of Biden.
Though President Joe Biden vowed that official duties would remain separate from his family affairs, his son’s art patrons appear to be politically and personally linked.
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Hirsh Naftali, Los Angeles real estate investor and philanthropist, has donated $13,414 to the Biden campaign and $29,700 to the Democratic National Campaign Committee this year alone. Vice President Kamala Harris headlined a fundraiser that she hosted in 2022.
President Biden appointed Hirsh Naftali to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad in July 2022. Membership in the commission is unpaid and regularly filled by political allies, campaign donors, and family members. It is unclear whether Hirsh Naftali purchased Hunter Biden’s paintings prior to her appointment or whether Hunter Biden might have supported her appointment.
Another unknown single buyer purchased 11 Hunter Biden paintings for $875,000. That buyer has reportedly purchased the majority of a $1.38 million total in sales.
“The gallery sets the pricing and handles all sales based on the highest ethical standards of the industry, and does not disclose the names of any purchasers to Mr. Biden,” Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s legal counsel, said in a statement to Business Insider after Hunter Biden learned the identities of Hirsh Naftali and a second buyer.
The only other known buyer is the Los Angeles attorney Kevin Morris, who also serves as Hunter Biden’s financial backer. Morris allegedly purchased the art through Biden’s gallery, though it was suggested to the New York Times that the art may have been a gift. Hunter Biden has also borrowed more than $2 million from Morris, who helped him pay back taxes and avoid felony penalties in a settlement with the Department of Justice last month. Hunter Biden pled guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges.
New York gallery Georges Bergès debuted Biden’s paintings, which pay homage to personal struggles with drug addiction and mental health, in a 2021 exhibition. Some of his works are priced as high as $500,000—the prices reportedly set by the gallery without any influence from the White House. Georges Bergès began working with Hunter Biden before his father was elected president.
This report from Business Insider comes on the heels of repeated requests for an investigation into Hunter Biden’s art sales by house Republicans, who have scrutinized the cost and patrons of the work.
Spokespersons for the White House nor Georges Bergès did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Source: artnews.com