Norval Morrisseau expert tells court Indigenous painter’s family, estate were ‘critical to the success’ of rampant fakes

Prosecutors have cast Jeffrey Cowan as the mastermind of a complex forgery scheme involving works attributed to one of Canada’s most celebrated artists.

They say Cowan’s role warrants an “exemplary” prison term of eight years for undermining the legacy and reputation of Indigenous icon Norval Morrisseau — the “Picasso of the North,” who died in 2007 — and harming First Nations in Canada through acts of cultural appropriation that “lay at the heart of Cowan’s criminal enterprise.”