【Text/Observer Network Zhou Yibo】
Biden's son, Hunter Biden, who was a "pit daddy" before last year's election, is now in trouble again.
According to the Comprehensive Fox News Network and the Washington Post, Hunter Biden has now become a full-time artist and is preparing a private exhibition, with each painting priced at up to $500,000 (about 3.239 million yuan), and the buyer's information is kept secret.
The situation immediately sparked skepticism, with Walter Shobo, a former ethics chief in the Obama administration, pointing out that Hunter Biden's inflated prices for his work and anonymous arrangements for his patrons could allow "influential people" to channel benefits to the Biden family, "shamefully, and President Joe Biden should stop such behavior."
Richard Painter, who served as president George W. Bush's chief ethics lawyer, said foreign governments could come forward to get people to buy Hunter Biden's paintings, and political lobbyists could buy paintings to win the favor of the White House. ”
On July 8, local time, a White House insider revealed that the White House has drafted an agreement to ensure that hunters of the work are kept secret from Hunter Biden himself, so as to avoid outsiders trying to exert influence on the Biden family. On the 9th, White House spokesman Jane Psaki said that Hunter Biden has the right to pursue an artistic career, "I think it is very difficult to have an impact on the president of an anonymous person (who we do not know and that Hunter Biden does not know). ”
Hunter Biden's art studio in Los Angeles is screenshotted on social media
On June 14, an interview with artnet News revealed that Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, a lawyer, fund investor and former political lobbyist, is currently living in seclusion in a coastal community in Los Angeles to prevent harassment by right-wingers and to devote himself to art and pursue "universal truth."
Although never formally trained, Hunter Biden began making art from an early age. There has been a more formal and serious shift in that approach in recent years, and he is now a full-time artist. ”
Hunter Biden's art dealer, Georges Bergès, reportedly plans to hold a private exhibition for him in Los Angeles in the fall of 2021, followed by one in New York.
Burgers revealed that Hunter Biden's price per painting ranges from $75,000 (about 486,000 yuan) to $500,000 (about 3.239 million yuan), and the price depends mainly on the size of the work.
According to Fox News Network, Burgess said that after the painting is sold, the buyer's information will be kept confidential and will not be made public.
Hunter Biden's 2020 painting "Untitled" Image source: artnet news
With a special identity, high price and mysterious owner, Hunter Biden's act of selling paintings inevitably arouses questions from the outside world.
Fox News Network analysis pointed out that the price of Hunter Biden's works is higher than jean-michel basquiat, an American graffiti artist and one of the representatives of new art. The latter's 1984 painting sold for $20,900, which is only $53,770.96 (about 35,000 yuan) even if it is converted to inflation, which is lower than the lower limit of the price of Hunter Biden's paintings.
According to the Washington Post on July 8, local time, although some art critics praised Hunter Biden's work, many critics pointed out after interviews that the asking price of $75,000 to $500,000 is still difficult to justify.
"No one would start at such a price." Mark Strauss, the owner of a gallery in Manhattan, New York, said. "But if the author's name was Hunter Biden, people would accept that price."
Scott Indrisek, former editor-in-chief of modern painters magazine and former associate editor of Artsy, believes that if Hunter Biden wants people to judge him in terms of his work alone, he will show it under the likes of Hunter Wilson.
Walter Shaub, a former ethics director in the Obama administration, noted that "it is shameful for a president's son to take advantage of this relationship to sell art at apparently inflated prices and to make it impossible for the public to know who funded him." ”
Mr. Shobo also warned that Hunter's arrangement to keep the financiers anonymous could allow "influential people" to channel benefits to the Biden family.
"It's ridiculous that Hunter Biden is conducting this auction as a new artist." Shaw continued. "He couldn't have thought that someone would pay him based solely on the quality of his art, which sounds like an attempt to profit from family ties with the White House."
"At least the president should ask his son not to conduct this auction."
Walter Schauber slammed Hunter Biden for selling paintings on social media
Richard Painter, who served as former President George W. Bush's chief ethics lawyer, said, "A lot of people's first reaction is that he [Hunter Biden] is the president's son and wants people to give him a lot of money." I mean, the price of these [works] is really too high. ”
Paynt pointed out that foreign governments can come forward to get people to buy paintings, and political lobbyists can also win the favor of the White House by buying paintings. The art trade is notoriously difficult to trace, and the U.S. Treasury Department warned last year that a secondary market for high-value art, combined with the anonymity of buyers, could allow foreign powers to enter the U.S. economy.
Hunter Biden (left) and Joe Biden (right) Source: Visual China
In the face of outside skepticism, the White House still does not plan to cancel the auction of Hunter Biden's works or force the disclosure of buyers, but intends to find another way.
The reason is that it is worried that buyers will "suffer too much" because of this.
The Washington Post reported that on July 8, White House sources familiar with the matter revealed that the White House has drafted an agreement to ensure that Hunter Biden himself is kept secret from the identity of the buyer of the work, so as to avoid outsiders trying to exert influence on the Biden family.
If buyers are publicly disclosed, their willingness to buy is limited, the person said, because the identity of most art buyers is not automatically disclosed. And there's also a secondary market for art, so even an openly identified buyer may not be the one who ends up buying the art.
In Hunter Biden's case, White House officials could be warned not to give the person any preferential treatment or discouraged from working with them, according to a person familiar with the matter.
On the same day, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said the Hunter Biden painting deal would be ensured to be ethical and that "the president established the highest ethical standards in American history." ”
On July 9, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the White House had deliberately established a system for Hunter Biden that would allow him to pursue his profession under reasonable protection, "with the right to pursue a career in the arts."
"I think it's very difficult to get an anonymous person [on the president] who we don't know, and who Hunter Biden doesn't know."
Hunter Biden (left) and Joe Biden (right) Image source: the atlantic
According to public information, Hunter Biden graduated from Yale Law School with a lawyer license, served in the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Clinton administration, and then crossed the political and business circles, serving as a political lobbyist, hedge fund investor, and public affairs officer.
In October 2020, the New York Post reported that when Hunter Biden sent his computer for repair, a large number of documents stored in the computer were leaked, involving a large number of emails exchanged between Hunter and a senior Ukrainian energy official, and one of the emails was that the senior official wanted Hunter to arrange for him to meet with Biden, so as to seek some help from Biden.
Shortly after meeting with the official, Biden made a request to the Ukrainian side to fire a prosecutor who is allegedly investigating the illegal conduct of Mr. Hunt's energy company.
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