Have you ever thought that the son of U.S. President Joe Biden is an artist whose paintings sell for millions? If you haven't considered this before, here’s the surprise: original artwork by Hunter Biden has been sold to ten buyers for a total of $1.5 million. The president's son collected $900,000, while the gallery owner earned $600,000 for his role in the transactions.
George Burgess, the gallery owner who made small donations to Donald Trump about 20 times in 2020, signed an agreement shortly after that year’s elections to take on an unusual task—representing Hunter, the son of President-elect Joe Biden, who was pursuing a nascent career as an artist, according to the Washington Post. The agreement created arrangements that raised concerns and has now drawn increased scrutiny from House Republicans.
The contents of a closed interview conducted by a House committee with Burgess this week provided the clearest picture yet regarding Hunter's artwork, including when and at what price his paintings were sold. In total, it turned out that ten buyers paid $1.5 million for those artworks. Under a prior agreement between them, the gallery owner received 40% of the sales while Biden received 60%.
Three of the buyers were identified, while the other seven remained anonymous. The largest share (11 paintings) totaling $875,000 went to Kevin Morris, who became one of Biden's close friends while also serving as an attorney and financial donor. Morris stated in a separate text released yesterday, when repeatedly asked by the committee about loans he had provided to Hunter, "I really love Hunter's art," which subjected him to mockery.
Additionally, Democratic donor Elizabeth Neftali purchased two pieces from Biden, one for $52,000 and the other for $42,000. President Biden appointed her in 2022 to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. William Jack, an art collector described by Burgess as "a really good friend" and partial owner of his gallery, acquired four paintings for a total of $122,500.
There are seven other buyers, but they remain unidentified, according to Burgess, who indicated that these buyers were long-time collectors and clients. Meanwhile, some Republicans and experts questioned whether purchasing Hunter's paintings could be a questionable way to curry favor with the White House, considering that artworks are difficult to evaluate and the president's son is not a well-known artist. The Biden camp firmly denied this, asserting that the artwork is distinctive and that none of the buyers wants anything from the White House.
They also noted that most of the buyers remained anonymous, making it impossible for them to request services in exchange for their purchases.
