Bob Dylan Apologizes to Machine-Signed Art Prints & Books
Bob Dylan issued a rare public statement Friday night to admit that he “regrets” having made “an error in judgment” in using machine technology to affix duplicate signatures to artwork and books that were advertised and sold as hand-signed over the past three years.
According to Dylan, autopen signatures have been used since 2019, when he was suffering from vertigo and continued with the pandemic. During this time, he was unable to get help with his hand-signing. Dylan says was given “the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds.” Now that it has come to light and stirred controversy, the singer-songwriter says, “I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that.”
Other musicians have been suspected of using autopen for purportedly hand-signed items, and in rare instances have even owned up to it, but the others have not been selling art prints that routinely sell for $3,000 to $15,000, as Dylan’s art prints do. Dylan’s statement indicating that he has used for autopen to sign artwork follows Simon & Schuster’s admission one week ago that a batch of $600 autographed copies of Dylan’s new book, “Philosophy of Modern Song,” had been machine-signed, with refunds immediately offered.
A gallery that has specialized in selling Dylan art prints, the U.K.-based Castle Galleries, issued a statement Saturday to say it was “reaching out to each and every one of our collectors who purchased any print from the (pertinent) editions to offer a solution to fully rectify the matter.” It’s believed that galleries that sold the recent artwork will be announcing a plan to deal with the issue early this week.
Dylan’s statement, published on his Facebook account, says that he did hand-sign everything that was advertised as such up until 2019. It is as follows:
“To my fans and followers, I’ve been made aware that there’s some controversy about signatures on some of my recent artwork prints and on a limited edition of ‘Philosophy Of Modern Song.’ I’ve hand-signed each and every art print over the years, and there’s never been a problem,” the statement begins.
“However, in 2019 I had a bad case of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years. To enable these signing sessions, it takes five people working together. We couldn’t find a safe and practical way to finish what I had to do while the virus was raging. So, during the pandemic, it was impossible to sign anything and the vertigo didn’t help. With contractual deadlines looming, the idea of using an auto-pen was suggested to me, along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds.”
Dylan’s statement concludes, “Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that. With my deepest regrets, Bob Dylan.”
It’s unknown whether plans to address the artwork situation would involve refunds — which could conceivably run into at least hundreds of thousands of dollars — or the less costly option of providing replacement prints that are truly hand-signed, if Dylan is now up to it — or some other unknown option. The “Philosophy of Modern Song” snafu, meanwhile, has already been addressed, with customers who bought the $600 limited edition of 900 books having already been refunded this week by Simon & Schuster.
Dylan’s reps did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Castle Galleries’ statement, also posted on Facebook, reads: “We were informed late yesterday that during the Covid 19 pandemic Bob Dylan used an autopen to sign several of his limited edition prints rather than his usual hand signature. These are the Retrospectrum Collection prints as well as Sunset, Monument Valley print that were published by us this year. We can confirm that all other editions were individually hand signed by Bob Dylan himself.”
The gallery’s statement continues: “We were entirely unaware of the use of autopen on these particular prints, and we sincerely apologize for the disappointment this may cause. We are reaching out to all collectors who have purchased prints from these editions in order to resolve the issue. Details on how we intend to resolve this matter will follow shortly.”
Castle Galleries’ statement on Bob Dylan’s signed art
As of Saturday morning in the U.S., prints of hundreds of different Dylan paintings were still being advertised on Castle Galleries’ website, and as “hand-signed,” ranging in price from about 2700 pounds for the lowest-priced individual print to £14,500.00 (or about $17,500 U,S. for six boxes. These items, many if not all, predate the period when the singer-artist claimed he started using machine technology. However, collectors will no doubt be scrambling for clues as to which side their earlier purchases land on.
The revelations regarding the signatures are not shocking to all fans. On Dylan’s Facebook post expressing regrets about the autopen signatures, the thousand-plus responses that had been added by Saturday morning were overwhelmingly in favor of the singer, saying the duplications were no big deal to start with and/or that he did a stand-up thing in publicly apologizing. Dylan’s 2019 vertigo, which he claimed he experienced in 2019, was shared by many. (The artist’s statement did not say whether he still suffers from the condition.)
Autograph Live played a key role in the tracking of duplicate signatures. There were actually 17 signatures discovered as users compared screenshots and notes.
Soon after the book duplicates came to light, users began comparing signatures on their far more expensive art prints and seemingly finding some identical signatures, as well… albeit in what might be called auto-pencil. The general consensus on forums so far seems to be a belief that what Dylan said in his Facebook statement is true — that prints signed prior to 2019 or 2020 do appear to have been individually signed.
Dylan’s statement that he has suffered from vertigo is the first time this has been revealed to the public. Dylan is still active and has resumed his energetic touring schedule with a highly-acclaimed tour.
Jason Hicks posted the post as Jason H. on Autograph Live. Jason Hicks tells that it has been a valuable resource for people looking to compare notes about machine-generated signatures. Variety, “Celebrities need to be taught a lesson to stop this autopen practice for good, for the sake of our hobby. Autopen is something I hate with a passion. That’s why I spent hours creating the post, comparing photos, and organizing as much information as I could. … It’s been a sore thumb in this hobby since before I was born. If autopen technology advances, there’s a chance it may become undetectable, which is why we need to end its use ASAP.”
Van Morrison was recently accused by the forums of using autopen for signing CDs. His management however, issued a statement denouncing it. Sinead O’Connor, however, owned up to doing it with her signed memoir, with no apologies. These disputed items were sold for less than $50 in both cases, which limits the potential for chaos.
“The books which are signed,” said O’Connor, “I signed using a signature stamp as I was not in a position to hand write my name ten thousand times, which is how many I was asked to sign. My son was ill, and so was I. So I stamped them. And it is my signature,” she contended. Nonetheless, many retailers withdrew O’Connor’s “autographed” books, which were selling for about $30, from sale.
One of the world’s most famous country singers was widely accused in forums last year of using autopen for a series of book and record releases; although there was never any public acknowledgement of the complaints, a publisher was said to have quietly taken returns and issued refunds on items that cost hundreds of dollars. Dylan’s publisher issued refunds without requiring consumers to return their books.
While Autopen is often used by executives and elected officials, it can also be used in the worlds of celebrities. However, speculation and doubt about the world of signed collectibles can result from its use. This video shows how common machines work.
The unfolding controversy over Dylan’s use of autopen for items advertised as “personally hand-signed” was magnified by the extent to which Simon & Schuster went to great pains to attest to the signatures’ authenticity in advertising and correspondence, even sending the $600 limited-edition “Philosophy of Modern Song” books out with a letter of authenticity signed by the publisher. Requests for refunds were initially refused, as the pubisher continued to attest to the signatures’ authenticity, before admitting that a “mistake” had been made Nov. 20 and refunding all purchases this past week.
If the publisher did refund the purchase price on the 900 books sold as hand-signed, that would amount to more than $500,000 in refunds given out this past week — not counting a separate run of 90 autographed books that had been advertised as up for sale in the U.K. The value of Dylan’s real signature was evident in listings on eBay that showed attempts to resell the supposedly autographed books for thousands of dollars each before the autopen news wiped out their value.