I wanted to believe him ... then I spoke to the FBI
Raising his paddles in every major auction, Philbrick became a constant presence at all of the stops in the "circus," as art collectors call it: the Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips auctions; Art Basel Miami and Switzerland; Frieze London; the New York art fairs; and beyond. He became the darling of what one observer calls "the new collecting class," to whom he offered something as coveted as the art itself: the VIP treatment. "You don't want to buy a ticket," the observer says. "That's dΓ©classΓ©.... He was offering access to a lifestyle." from The Confessions of Inigo Philbrick, Art Fraudster Extraordinaire [Vanity Fair; ungated]