Hunter Biden stiffed his art dealer, Georges Bergès, for swanky art exhibitions, Bergès told House Oversight and Judiciary committees last week, according to a transcript reviewed by Breitbart News.
Hunter Biden’s failure to pay his bills was one reason Bergès dropped him as a client, he told the committees. “It was a little bit more than I could chew … So I haven’t agreed to renew that contract now,” he testified.
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Hunter Biden has a history of stiffing those he owes. He previously refused to pay for housing, car payments, and legal fees, totaling $4.9 million, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“I paid for them [art shows],” Bergès replied when asked about who paid for the art exhibits. “I’m still bitter about a lot of that stuff.”
“I took a gamble and it didn’t really pay off, but so that’s one of the reasons I haven’t really renewed the contract,” he added. “I had to do all the framing. I had to do all the shipping. I had to expedite it.”
Hunter Biden knew the identities of 70 percent of his “anonymous” art buyers, Bergès said, contradicting the White House’s claim that the president’s son was “not involved in the sale or discussions about the sale of his art,” and that he would not be “informed” of “who is purchasing his art.”
Author Kevin Morris, who is also Hunter Biden’s attorney, attends his “White Man’s Problem” book release party on June 3, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Hunter Biden’s art sales worry Republicans due to the often-nefarious nature of the art world:
- Money laundering is a major issue in the industry, according to a 2020 Senate report.
- Some Republicans believe the Biden family business laundered money.
At least three people bought Hunter Biden’s work: Kevin Morris, Hunter’s lawyer; a democrat donor and Biden administration appointee; and Bergès’ gallery co-owner William Jacques. Bergès’ deal with Hunter Biden entitled him to a 40 percent commission from the sales. The commission suggests Hunter received $900,000 for his novice art paintings.
Paintings by Hunter Biden are seen as Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) questions Attorney General Merrick Garland about price fixing during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing of the Department of Justice on October 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images)
Despite failing to pay his bills and the limited art sales, Hunter Biden wanted Bergès to keep working with him. “I mean, we’ve discussed extending it. At the moment I opted not to,” he told investigators. “I’m trying to sell hi[s] art to multiple people, not just one,” he said. “I haven’t renewed the contract because I have to look at the totality of the sales.”
Representing Hunter Biden “hasn’t been the best decision for me,” Bergès continued. “I never expected the whole security issue or the death threats and people assuming political affiliation, which was completely wrong.”
Bergès is a controversial character. In 2016, an investor in Bergès’ gallery sued him for fraud and breach of contract. Before filing for personal bankruptcy in 1998, authorities arrested Bergès in California and “charged with assault with a deadly weapon and ‘terrorist threats,’” public records from the Santa Cruz Police Department show.
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Bergès shady history also includes business in China. Bergès bragged in 2015 about his plans to be the “lead” art dealer in China, where the Biden family business and Kevin Morris maintain business ties. “I plan to find and discover and bring to the rest of the world those I consider China’s next generation of modern artists,” he said.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/01/17/hunter-biden-stiffed-art-dealer-still-bitter-about-lot-that-stuff/