Hunter Biden art show adds to White House ethics headache
Biden is selling his artwork for between $75,000 and $500,000 – a hefty price tag for a debut artist
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hunter Biden, President Biden's son and nascent artist, appeared at his first art exhibition last week where he mingled with prospective buyers.
Hunter's art dealings – in which his paintings are priced at up to $500,000 – have alarmed ethics experts, particularly due to his lack of formal art experience.
Hunter's attendance at the event came despite the White House previously saying that he would not know the identities of potential buyers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Biden’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to India, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, was reportedly among the high-profile attendees at Hunter's art show.
Other attendees at the 200-person LA Milk Studios exhibition included the musician Moby and world champion boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, according to reports from the Daily Mail, Mother Jones and the New York Post.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday sidestepped questions about Hunter's attendance at the art show.
"Well, to be clear, we’ve spoken to the arrangement that is run by the gallerist and Hunter Biden’s representatives that the White House provided suggestions for. I’d refer to the gallerist for questions about the event as well as the representatives of Mr. Garcetti in terms of his attendance," she said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Walter Shaub, the former Office of Government Ethics director under President Obama, previously told Fox News that Hunter's lucrative art career has a "shameful and grifty feeling to it."
"The notion of a president's son capitalizing on that relationship by selling art at obviously inflated prices and keeping the public in the dark about who's funneling money to him has a shameful and grifty feel to it," said Shaub.
"He can't possibly think anyone is paying him based on the quality of the art. This smells like an attempt to cash in on a family connection to the White House," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Art experts have said that Hunter's work is wildly overpriced.
Houston Keene is a reporter for Fox News Digital. You can find him on Twitter at @HoustonKeene.