Ezra Chowaiki
Writer Art Dealer Filmmaker Ex Felon Ice Cream Genius
I was one of New York’s most active art dealers—until I got busted for wire fraud. Now I’m revealing the underhanded tricks of the trade, and how to survive in a prison filled with VIPs.
Recent Articles
Authenticated Fakes?
September 5, 2025 - The blue-chip art trade is so wonderfully cosmopolitan that even the fakes have illustrious international provenances that can't always revel a work's status as real or a forgery… more >
Fakes, Nazis, and Fake Nazis
July 26, 2025 - I was introduced to Jimmy—never learned his surname—during a visit to Athens in 2005. He had dozens of artworks, all of which he wanted to sell, but he wanted it to be utterly confidential… more >
Monet Changes Everything
January 22, 2024 - Any super-rich schmuck can buy a yacht. Or a mansion. Even Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire, owned a mansion and a yacht. Multi-millionaires and billionaires can buy many things to telegraph their wealth… more >
Serving Time in ClubFed
November 2, 2024 - Some advice for Trump if he loses. I wrote this to dispel certain myths, but also to give an idea of what a white-collar prosecution and incarceration is like and how wealth and connections play a part... more >
Interview with Ezra Chowaiki
October 10, 2023 - Art fraud has hijacked the conversation again, but calls for stronger regulation miss the bigger picture. Art professionals on both sides of the Atlantic have awaited new twists and turns in these sagas… more >
Art World Confidential
March 18, 2023 - He was one of New York’s most active art dealers—until he got busted for wire fraud. Now Ezra Chowaiki reveals the underhanded tricks of the trade, and how to survive in a VIP filled prison… more >