Convicted fraudster Inigo Philbrick has expressed regret in a forthcoming BBC documentary, but also questioned: 'what about all the good deals?' Philbrick, who once lived a high-flying lifestyle with private jets and expensive suits, was exposed in 2019 for orchestrating one of the largest art frauds in history. He was sentenced to seven years in a US prison in 2022 and ordered to forfeit $86,672,790.
Released partway through his sentence last year, Philbrick claims not to know where the $86m is. In the documentary, he says: 'I'm obviously in no position to do anything other than say how sorry I am. But there is a small part of me that thinks: what about all the good deals?' He was interviewed for over 14 hours for the two-part BBC programme, The Great Art Fraud, to be released next week.
The documentary also features Victoria Baker-Harber, a Made in Chelsea socialite who fled with Philbrick to Vanuatu, where he was arrested by the FBI. She downplays any wrongdoing, saying: 'You could say he's a criminal, but who hasn't done something illegal?' There is no suggestion she was involved in his crimes, and she faced no legal action.
Philbrick's fraud involved selling more than 100% of artworks to different investors and falsifying documents. One victim, collector Aleksandar Pesko, was told he could acquire Jean-Michel Basquiat's Humidity for $18.4m, but Philbrick was actually buying it for $12.5m. Philbrick forged contracts to appear legitimate, even using a well-known law firm's bank details without their knowledge.
His downfall came after lying to German investors about a Rudolf Stingel portrait of Pablo Picasso, claiming Christie's had offered a $9m guarantee. The auction fetched only $5.5m. Philbrick admits: 'I, from that very moment, was dead.' The investors chased him, and when they requested proof of the guarantee, he faked it. Christie's confirmed it was fraudulent.
Philbrick and Baker-Harber, who have since married, blame his lawyer for not securing a shorter sentence. Philbrick says: 'I had walked into that room thinking that I was probably going to get a much shorter sentence.' The documentary traces his flight, using footage Baker-Harber shot on her phone, including his arrest in a Vanuatu shop.
