Inigo Philbrick was once one of the art world’s golden boys, a dealer who seemed to have the Midas touch
Inigo Philbrick’s story reads like a Hollywood script. Dazzling peaks, a devastating betrayal, and a cast of characters plucked directly from the art scene and celebrity gossip columns.
Once celebrated as a wunderkind of contemporary art dealing, he ultimately became known as a “mini Madoff”, jailed in America for masterminding one of the most brazen art swindles in living memory. Most recently, he’s grabbed headlines for entirely different reasons – discreetly tying the knot with a reality TV socialite, with whom he has two children.
English-born but Connecticut-raised, Philbrick appeared fated for the art scene. His father held a distinguished position as a museum director, whilst his mother was a Harvard-educated author.
Following his studies at Goldsmiths, University of London, he honed his skills at Jay Jopling’s esteemed White Cube gallery. By his mid-twenties, he’d established himself as a dealer with a keen eye for contemporary pieces, especially works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Rudolf Stingel, reports the Express.
Come 2013, he’d launched his own Mayfair gallery. Within four years, turnover had allegedly reached $130m, prompting him to branch out to Miami.
By this point, collectors had placed their faith in him, investors were vying for his attention, and he’d mastered the art of profiting from the thriving secondary art market. Philbrick was the epitome of extravagance, cultivating an image of glamour with private jets, £5,000 bottles of wine, and holidays with artist pals like Kenny Schachter.
His life seemed to blend art-world prestige with TV-famous glitz when he started dating Victoria Baker-Harber, one of the sharp-tongued original stars of Made in Chelsea.
However, behind the glitzy facade was a precarious house of cards. Prosecutors later revealed that Philbrick had defrauded clients of more than $86m (£60m) between 2016 and 2019.
His methods were audacious – selling over 100% of ownership stakes in artworks without informing investors; using the same painting as collateral for multiple loans; forging documents, including Christie’s invoices; inflating purchase prices to secure larger investments.
Artworks entangled in his schemes included Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Humidity and Stingel’s photorealist portrait of Picasso. Victims ranged from seasoned collectors and advisers to financiers.
Schachter, once a friend, lost over $1.5million.
The fraud came to light in 2019, when rumours of dodgy dealings became too loud to ignore. A lender demanded repayment of a $14million loan, leading to lawsuits from investors.
Philbrick made a dash for Vanuatu in the South Pacific, but his getaway was short-lived.
In June 2020, US authorities nabbed him on the island, whisking him away from tropical bliss straight to a New York courtroom.
When Judge Sidney Stein questioned his motives in court, Philbrick didn’t try to spin any tales.
He simply stated: “For the money, your honour.”
In 2022, he was handed a seven-year stretch behind bars, along with orders to pay £86million.
Prison may have stripped away the glitz and glamour, but it couldn’t destroy his bond with Victoria Baker-Harber, who was expecting their daughter Gaia when he was arrested.
The socialite, brought up in Belgravia and known for her razor-sharp tongue on E4, pledged to stick by her man.
She made regular visits, discussed him openly on the programme, and even cracked jokes about his prison garb, quipping “Orange is really not his colour.”
After serving two years, Philbrick was freed on home detention.
Shortly afterwards, the pair tied the knot in a quiet, no-frills ceremony without any guests present.
By 2024, he was sporting an electronic tag, juggling family life and, against all odds, had been handed another shot at life.
This spring brought news that Victoria was expecting once more.
Taking to Instagram, she posted a snap of Gaia clutching ultrasound images with the words: “Big sister in the making..”
Their second little girl, Astra August Philbrick, arrived on May 5.
Inigo, now 37, hardly seems eaten up with guilt.
Speaking to The Sunday Times Magazine, he claimed his wrongdoings stemmed from “ambition and greed” rather than any nasty intentions. “Look, I didn’t kill anyone,” he said.
“Nobody didn’t send their children to university. I don’t think that anyone in this whole story is guilty of much more than greed and ambition.”
The Great Art Fraud is on BBC Two on 27 and 28 August and on iPlayer.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
