San Francisco

Fine Art Deemed to Be Fakes at Oakland Private School

The head of the school says the donor had no idea the pieces were reproductions and is "devastated.''

Officials at an Oakland, California, private school thought they were sitting on a small fortune after a donation of four Chinese paintings valued at $2.8 million.

Oakland's Pacific Boychoir Academy used the artwork to take out $400,000 in loans to hire staff and build the program.

Then last month came the shocking news: Asian art experts in San Francisco deemed the paintings fake.

The head of the school, Summer Dittmer, says the donor had no idea the pieces were reproductions and is "devastated.''

She says the loans have put the school in deep financial trouble. The school has turned to GoFundMe and other fundraising efforts to pay this year's operating costs.

Contact Us