Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Lindsey B's unique ability to combine the styles of cubism, art deco, and new wave into a single sculpture make her designs unmistakable. More difficult is spotting a Lindsey B copy. As artists achieve notoriety and collectability, forgers will recreate or copy the original artist's work. Often times these forgeries can be spotted as there are inconsistencies with the composition, color, texture or size. But in the case of Lindsey B's work, the knock offs are taken directly from her original work, which makes them slightly more difficult to spot. We have found a number of examples where it is clear that a mould was taken from an authentic piece and then recast. Because these copies were cast directly from the originals, they can be difficult to distinguish as they are the same size and striking imagery as the original sculptures. Below we are posting a couple examples of fakes.

The fake seen above is a copy of Lindsey B's "Rachel". Cast from an original piece this fake looks nice and shows well, but there are a few indicators that this is not an authentic piece. The first aspect to note is the finish, this glossy black finish stands apart from the majority of her matte finished pieces. Lindsey used a unique material to make her sculptures known as "crystacal," a very dense ceramic. The knockoffs are a cheap ceramic, lighter in weight and hollow. The second aspect to note is the hand painted line work, while Lindsey B did rework her pieces with added color, they were typically executed with an airbrush for a much softer make-up effect. The third and most important note is the signature, in the case of this fake there is no signature in the cast. The signature is frequently the easiest way to distinguish an authentic piece from a copy. The absence of a signature in the above piece is an immediate give away, but more common is the shallow signature as we found with the piece below.

The signature seen above comes from this fake "Rick". Because the majority of fake Lindsey B's are cast from a real piece, they are in effect "a copy of a copy" and just as with photocopies, the secondary piece is never quite as crisp and clear as the original. This is precisely the case for this copy. Where Lindsey B's sculptures showcase crisp clean cubist lines, the copy's edges are much softer and smoother than the original designs. The signature is also softer in the copy, it's not as crisp and cut as her authentic works.

To view authentic availabe pieces please visit www.the80sgallery.com

You Belong to the City, You Belong to the Night

So you want to live in the 80's? Adjust those shoulder pads, grab your Wayfarers, and turn on your Empire State Building Lamp! We're excited to share this unique 1980's prop from the 1988 Eddie Murphy film "Coming to America", the 1988 Tom Hanks film "Big", and the 1986 Sylvester Stallone film "Cobra".

Shown above is the actual lamp that appeared in both 1988 feature films "Coming to America" & "Big". This lamp is constructed with a translucent white plastic shell in the form of the Empire State Building. Within the building's shell is a fluorescent tube light that illuminates the building from within. This architectural lamp shows incredibly well on a raised pedestal or table as can be seen in the screen shots from "Coming to America" below.

To find this scene in the film look for it around the 1 hour 12 minute mark with the following dialog.

Arsenio Hall (Semmi): Akeem!
Eddie Murphy (Akeem): What have you done?

Arsenio Hall (Semmi): You told me to fix up the place.

Eddie Murphy (Akeem): I should kill you!

Arsenio Hall (Semmi): Why?
Eddie Murphy (Akeem): I'm supposed to be a poor man.

Below is a screen shot from "Big" with Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Perkins. To find this scene in the film look for it with the following dialog.

Elizabeth Perkins (Susan): I'm not so sure we should do this.
Tom Hanks (Josh): Do what?
Elizabeth Perkins (Susan): Well, I like you, and I want to spend the night with you.

Tom Hanks (Josh): Do you mean sleep over?

Elizabeth Perkins (Susan): Well...yeah.
Tom Hanks (Josh): Well, okay... but I get to be on top.

Below is a screen shot from "Cobra" with Sylvester Stallone. To find this scene in the film look for it around the 16 minute mark.
Spiring to a height of 38.5" tall with the base measuring 10.25"x8.75" this piece of interior design is iconic for the 1980's in how it uses a symbolic art deco building to create drama with lighting and sculpture. Little is known about the manufacturing or distribution of this lamp, other than that they originated from Japan. We recently sold the lamp featured in the movies, but have an identical piece available.

For additional information please email: the80sgallery@yahoo.com or visit www.the80sgallery.com