Eric Ian Spoutz

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Eric Ian Hornak-Spoutz
Eric-Ian-Hornak-Spoutz-Lecturing-Washington-County-Museum-of-Fine-Arts-2013.JPG
Spoutz lecturing at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, Maryland in 2013
Born
Eric Ian Spoutz

(1983-08-03) August 3, 1983 (age 42)
Mount Clemens, Michigan
Alma mater Fort Hays State University; Rutgers University
OccupationsArt dealer; curator
Parent Rosemary Hornak
Relatives Ian Hornak; Julius Rosenthal Wolf
Websitewww.hornak-spoutz.com

Eric Ian Hornak-Spoutz (born August 3, 1983) is an American art dealer, and curator. He has owned and operated art galleries in Detroit, Michigan; Cape Coral and Palm Beach, Florida; and Los Angeles, California. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life and family

Eric Ian Hornak-Spoutz was born on August 3, 1983, in Mount Clemens, Michigan, to Carl Steven Spoutz, a real estate developer, and Rosemary Hornak, a visual artist. [5] He was named after his maternal uncle, Ian Hornak, a founding Hyperrealist and Photorealist artist. [1] [2] [6]

Ian Hornak’s longtime partner was Julius Rosenthal Wolf, a casting director, theatrical agent, and art dealer who served as vice president of General Amusement Corporation and was previously associated with Edith Halpert’s Downtown Gallery in New York City. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Hornak-Spoutz’s parents divorced in 1993, after which he was raised by his mother, with significant involvement from his paternal grandparents and his uncle. He lived in Mount Clemens during the school year and spent the remainder of his time among family residences in East Hampton, Manhattan, and Palm Beach. [2]

At the age of sixteen, Hornak-Spoutz became his uncle’s studio manager in East Hampton. [2] In 2002, following the deaths of his paternal grandfather and Ian Hornak, he became co-trustee of his grandfather’s estate and executor of his uncle’s estate. [2]

Education

Hornak-Spoutz completed his secondary education at Cardinal Mooney Catholic College Preparatory School, graduating in 2001. He subsequently earned a Bachelor of General Studies degree from Fort Hays State University, with concentrations in General Business and Historical Studies and a minor in English. He later completed the coursework toward a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree (all but thesis) at Rutgers University, concentrating in Creative Arts and Literature. [1] [2]

Hornak-Spoutz also completed undergraduate certificate programs in Legal Studies and Employment Law at Adams State University; Legal Secretarial Studies and Legal Investigation at California State University, Monterey Bay; and Cultural Diversity Studies at Fort Hays State University.

Career

In 2003, Hornak-Spoutz founded the Eric I. Spoutz Gallery in the Fisher Building in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of nineteen. The gallery specialized in Photorealist and Hyperrealist artwork. [1] [2] An early exhibition, Lowell Nesbitt: A Retrospective (2004), was the largest presentation of the artist’s work since his death in 1993. [11]

From 2007 to 2017, Hornak-Spoutz placed works by numerous artists into the permanent collections of major American institutions. These included the Smithsonian American Art Museum; the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, Archives of American Art; the Library of Congress; the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; the Detroit Institute of Arts; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University; and a range of other museums, universities, hospitals, and public collections. [1] [2] [12]

Hornak-Spoutz also curated traveling museum exhibitions across the United States, including an exhibition at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., in 2013 for the second inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States, and sponsored by the Chair Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke. [1] Additional venues included the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, the Kinsey Institute, and the Anton Art Center. [13]

During the City of Detroit bankruptcy, Hornak-Spoutz appeared as a media commentator for outlets including The Detroit News , where he discussed valuations of the Detroit Institute of Arts collection and other municipal artworks amid international debate regarding their potential sale. [14] [13]

In 2013, Hornak-Spoutz opened Gallery 928 at The Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village in Cape Coral, Florida, exhibiting contemporary artists alongside works by Andy Warhol, Joan Miro, and Pablo Picasso. [3] The gallery closed in 2014, after which Hornak-Spoutz relocated to Los Angeles and launched an online dealership specializing in blue chip artwork. [5]

Personal life

Hornak-Spoutz has lived in East Hampton, New York; Palm Beach, Florida; Dallas, Texas; and Los Angeles, California. He later returned to his home state of Michigan and currently resides in Auburn Hills.

In 2012, Hornak-Spoutz married Natasha Gavroski in Beverly Hills, California. The marriage ended in divorce in April 2018. [15] [16] [1] [2] In April 2023, he became engaged during a private proposal in Detroit, Michigan. He was married during the Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, at a group wedding ceremony titled “Totality of the heart” held in Trenton, Ohio. [17] [18]

In October 2024, Hornak-Spoutz filed a civil action against artist Scott Kahn in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of Westchester, seeking $7,500,000 USD in damages. [19] [20] The complaint alleged a professional relationship dating to 2011, including exhibitions, museum acquisitions, and a proposed $40,000,000 to $60,000,000 USD retrospective exhibition at Phillips Asia in Hong Kong that was allegedly terminated shortly before opening. [19] [20]

On February 3, 2016, Hornak-Spoutz was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation pursuant to a criminal complaint issued by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] He pleaded guilty on June 3, 2016, before Judge Lewis A. Kaplan to one count of wire fraud. Letters seeking leniency were submitted by John Ellis, Ronnie Landfield, Scott Kahn, and the executive director of The Heidelberg Project. On February 16, 2017, Hornak-Spoutz was sentenced to forty one months imprisonment at Federal Correctional Institution, Morgantown, and ordered to forfeit $1,450,000 USD and pay $154,100 USD in restitution. [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tom Watts, "Harrison Township art dealer is quick study," Macomb Daily, Feb. 15, 2012
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Jameson Cook, "Dual depictions presented of a prominent art dealer gone bad," Macomb Daily, Feb. 14, 2017
  3. 1 2 Charles Runnells, "Gallery 928 brings Picasso, Warhol and other art icons to Cape Coral," The News Press, Feb. 7, 2014
  4. ↑ US v. Spoutz, 16 Cr. 392: Government Sentencing Materials, Feb. 6, 2017
  5. 1 2 "Forging Papers to Sell Fake Art," Federal Bureau of Investigation (press release), April 6, 2017
  6. ↑ USA Department of Justice (2019). The FBI Story Leadership, Integrity, Agility, Integration. Skyhorse Publishing.
  7. ↑ Southgate, Patsy (November 20, 1997). "Ian Hornak: Creating An Art Apart". East Hampton Star.
  8. ↑ "Jay Wolf, 47, Producer, Casting Director and Agent". New York Times. June 14, 1976.
  9. ↑ Julius (Jay) Wolf papers, MS-1208. Dartmouth College, Rauner Library Archives and Manuscripts.
  10. ↑ Downtown Gallery records, 1824-1974, bulk 1926-1969. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
  11. ↑ "Lowell Nesbitt: A Comprehensive Retrospective Exhibit Opens at the Eric I. Spoutz Gallery in Detroit, Michigan". PRWeb. August 22, 2003.
  12. ↑ Stephen Bennett Phillips, "Ian Hornak Transparent Barricades," exhibition catalogue, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Fine Art Program, Washington D.C., 2012
  13. 1 2 MacLeod, Maryanne (June 26, 2014). "Art Center showcases revolutionary exhibit: Nationally celebrated Ian Hornak retrospective". Macomb Daily.
  14. ↑ Creps, Marci (January 19, 2014). "On Exhibit: Jan 19, 2014". Hoosier Times.
  15. ↑ US v. Spoutz, 16 Cr. 392: Defendant Sentencing Materials, Feb. 2, 2017
  16. ↑ US v. Spoutz, 16 Cr. 392: Defendant Sentencing Materials (Character Letters), Feb. 2, 2017
  17. ↑ Marriage License, The State of Ohio, Butler County, License #00185088. Hornak-Spoutz & Leinenger.
  18. ↑ Lakritz, Talia. "Hundreds of couples got married during the solar eclipse. Photos show mass weddings featuring moon-themed cakes and protective glasses". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  19. 1 2 Cassady, Daniel (2024-10-29). "Lawsuit Claims Artist Scott Kahn Ditched Phillips Asia Show for David Zwirner Deal". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  20. 1 2 "Hornak-Spoutz v Kahn". Supreme Court of the State of New York. October 28, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Michigan Art Dealer Arrested And Charged With Fraud For Selling Dozens Of Forged Artworks Over Five Years," Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, Feb. 3, 2016
  22. ↑ "Michigan Art Dealer Sentenced To More Than 3 Years In Prison For Defrauding Collectors Of $1.45 Million Through Sale Of Forged Artworks," Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, Feb. 16, 2017
  23. ↑ Alex Johnson, "Art Dealer Eric Spoutz Charged With Selling Dozens of Fakes of American Masters," NBC News, Feb. 3, 2016
  24. ↑ Meg Wagner, "Michigan art dealer arrested for selling fake paintings by American masters with forged letters of authenticity," New York Daily News, Feb. 4, 2016
  25. ↑ Nate Raymond, "Michigan art dealer arrested by FBI for selling forgeries," Reuters, Feb. 3, 2016
  26. ↑ Lia Eustachewich, "Art dealer con man allegedly sold dozens of forged pieces over 15 years," New York Post, Feb. 4, 2016
  27. ↑ Reuters, "Michigan Art Dealer Gets Three Years in Prison for Selling Fake Paintings," NBC News, Feb. 16, 2017
  28. ↑ "Michigan art dealer gets more than 3 years in prison for fraud," The Detroit Free Press, Feb. 16, 2017
  29. ↑ Nate Raymond, "Michigan art dealer gets 3-plus years in prison for forgeries," Reuters, Feb. 16, 2017
  30. ↑ "Art Dealer Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Prison for Selling Forged Modern Art," Art Forum, Feb. 20, 2017
  31. ↑ Elbaor, Caroline (2017-02-20). "Art Dealer Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Selling Forgeries". Artnet News. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
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