Hunter Biden’s art is proving to be very popular, especially with rich anonymous buyers.
According to a report Monday by Business Insider, a single unknown millionaire purchased 11 of the first son’s paintings for $875,000. The publication cited “internal documents from Hunter Biden’s gallery.”
All told, Mr. Biden’s paintings have netted $1.3 million, the news outlet reported.
According to the Business Insider report, the White House has said the younger Mr. Biden’s art career could not raise conflict of interest questions because his team used a purchase process that would reveal the bidders’ identities only to the gallery, and not to Mr. Biden.
However, Business Insider wrote, “Hunter Biden did in fact learn the identity of two buyers, according to three people directly familiar with Hunter Biden’s own account of his art career.”
In addition, the publication reported, one of those buyers is a Democratic political insider who was picked by the Biden White House for a prestigious board appointment.
The buyer is Los Angeles real-estate investor Elizabeth Hirsh Naftali, whom Business Insider called “influential in California Democratic circles and … a significant Democratic donor.”
President Biden appointed Ms. Hirsh Naftali to the Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad in July 2022, eight months after his son’s first art opening.
“The timing of their purchase, however, is unknown,” Business Insider cautioned.
An administration official told Business Insider that Ms. Hirsh Naftali was an ideal choice for the board and recommended by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The official noted that the board helps preserve historic Jewish sites across Europe and that Ms. Hirsh Naftali has long worked on Jewish and Israeli issues.
Abbe Lowell, Hunter Biden’s counsel, said his client learned about Ms. Hirsh Naftali and the second buyer after their purchases because they already were his friends.
“The gallery sets the pricing and handles all sales based on the highest ethical standards of the industry, and does not disclose the names of any purchasers to Mr. Biden,” Mr. Lowell wrote in an email to Business Insider.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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