Hunter Biden.Photo: Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images
The White House is again addressing questions about the budding art career of PresidentJoe Biden’s sonHunter Bidenafter the latter attended a starry event in Los Angeles celebrating his new works.
The White House has repeatedly addressedHunter’s art career, insisting that safeguards are in place to prevent any potential ethical quandaries.
In theory, then, not even the artist will know who is taking home one of his paintings or what price they paid.
But Hunter’s appearance at the recent event appeared to undercut that,critics argued.
Not so, says a source.
They tell PEOPLE that — contrary to some reports — none of Hunter’s works have sold yet and the Oct. 1 event was a private gathering rather than an exhibition of works for sale. An official exhibit is planned for the fall in New York City.
The guidelines around his art remain in place to avoid potential conflicts, this source says. (The gallery did not return a request for comment.)
During the White House press briefing last Wednesday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the ethics of the president’s son selling art to people who might be seeking jobs, influence or the good graces of the administration.
Psaki, in response, referred back to the prior arrangement with Hunter’s gallerist. At a previous briefing in July, Psaki laid out some of those guardrails.
She said that the gallerist “will not share information about buyers or prospective buyers, including their identities, with Hunter Biden or the administration, which provides quite a level of protection and transparency.”
“It would be challenging for an anonymous person who we don’t know and Hunter Biden doesn’t know to have influence,” she said then. “So that’s a protection.”
As part of the arrangement with the gallery, sources previouslytoldTheWashington Postthat owner Georges Bergès would reject offers he considers suspicious or above the asking price.
BergèstoldArtnetin June that Hunter’s work could fetch between $75,000 to $500,000, depending on the drawings and paintings which he does on canvas, metal and Japanese Yupo paper.
According to the site, those prices would put Hunter"in the very top tier of emerging artists."
Hunter Biden.Paul Morigi/Getty
Hunter Biden’s recent ups and downs
Though Hunter has no role in government or as an official adviser to his father, he has long been a target among conservatives — both for his past business dealings and for his personal scandals — even as the president’s aides say he should be left out of the spotlight.
Earlier this year, Hunter wrote a candid memoir about his years of drug use and recovery and how, now with a wife and young son named for his late brother, he had found sobriety again in L.A.
source: people.com
