GEORGE “JO JO” MARENGO - The WORLD ART FOUNDATION (WAF) – WORLD ART EXPO 2009

I received this mail from the facebook art group "Fantastic Art" written by Christian De Boeck:

Our advice to artists is to have nothing to do with Marengo and the World Art Foundation (WAF) and World Art Expo 2009. After having his membership of this group deleted he has joined again in order to spam the group with his sales pitch for the foundation and expo. He has now been permanently banned from this group. Anyone wishing further information as to why is welcome to contact us.

What pretender Marengo has done is phish all the artists from my and other friends and their friends lists on Facebook, MySpace and elsewhere in order to send them the same standard laughable sales letter. He then, when he hasn’t even looked at your art, sends you the same insultingly stupid message: ”George Marengo wrote at 10:34pm Heiz [sic (actually, my friends name is HEINZ)], your work is amazing. I am happy to invite you to join the World Art Foundation“, when he clearly hasn’t bothered to look at your work or even spell your name correctly. (But you call this “professional”.) The bottom line is that his awards would be vanity awards with no standing in the serious art world. His magazines are also vanity publications filled with fluff pieces, i.e., thinly veiled advertorials for the party that the article is about. I would be embarrassed to be associated with such a project and no reputable established artist will be associated with it, and neither should you.”

Read the “fine print” in World Art Expo “Exhibition Rules” http://www.worldartfoundation.org/ExhibitRules.html, for example:
“1 – Accomplished artists with a limited budget but wish to exhibit. You may exhibit at the World Art Expo by sending ONE PIECE of artwork. You will receive all the proceeds (100%) if your art is sold during the expo. Unsold art, however, will be donated to the world Art Foundation’s Museum Fund*. (See more information at the bottom of this page.)”

So what incentive has Marengo got to sell your work when you have already paid an exorbitant fee (minimum $2,500 non-members $1,500 members if you commit this December) to exhibit and he gets to keep your work if it isn’t sold. This is simply criminal and scandalous.

BTW. The Hyatt Regency Irvine has been approached by several friends of mine to make enquires about the World Art Expo, which brought to light the fact that the hotel knows nothing about this event and hasn’t been booked for it. The first WORLD ART EXPO was supposed to take place this year. It didn’t…wonder why!?

And have you read this shit which, besides his bad taste, ignorance and stupidity about art and artists, reveals all the other money making scams he has in mind: http://www.worldartfoundation.org/Contest.html

To date not a single artist I now and am friends with has signed up for membership of the WAF or the WORLD ART EXPO – and if they have they will now most certainly have second thoughts.

Octavian Florescu wrote: “I checked out his website http://www.worldartfoundation.org/ and so far I found everything as being very professional, including the selection of artists. I would be happy to see more websites at this level of professionalism.”

Christian De Boeck wrote: "The website might look “professional”, so do millions of others and thousands promoting scams of one kind or another. And what “selection of artists” are you talking about? When you click on the links nothing comes up. The WAF has no members. So why don’t you show us all the way and become the first to join!?"

The facts: when I first clicked on the links to artists nothing came up, so Marengo must have got his web designer out of bed to quickly update the site with some artist’s pages under Artists, Surrealists, Masters. None of my artist friends are members of the WAF and will not be attending the WORLD ART EXPO 2009, should it take place, which we very much doubt. It’s all a thinly veiled scam to make money out naïve, up-and coming artists. Also, just by the way, none of my friends consider themselves “surrealists”, which goes to show just how much Marengo knows about art.

I had a look at Florescu’s website http://www.florescugallery.com/ and see why he might have a problem getting his work shown by a legitimate gallery. His work is the worst kind of amateur kitsch no respectable gallery would be interested in. This is the kind of shit any other artist will become associated with that is so naïve as to sign up for Marengo’s expo should or should it not eventually take place, once he has your money in his bank account.

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Brajanne on March 23, 2009 at 7:47pm: Con-artist and fraudster Marengo and his so-called “WORLD ART FOUNDATION” (WAF) deceitfully claim to be a legitimate registered “NO-PROFIT” arts organisation. However, the fact is that this a blatant LIE and fraudulent misrepresentation. The WAF is NOT a registered non-profit arts organisation. To establish this fact for yourselves GO TO: http://www.irs.gov/app/pub-78/. The WAF is not and will never become a registered non-profit organisation with the Internal Revenue Service, as it is a purely FOR-PROFIT scam that would never pass scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service, who we will be sure to have investigate them.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brajanne on March 23, 2009 at 7:49pm: The latest and so far most pathetic of Marengo’s attempts at intimidation and threats comes from one of his side kicks named “Andoni Zarganis”, who posted a message here claiming to be an “investigative reporter” and contributor to numerous magazines, including Marengo’s Umbrella Publishing’s junkmail magazines. In these posts she threatens to sue all of those who have exposed Marengo for the con-artist and fraud he is, and further claims to have signed a contract with a publisher for a book on “Defamation on Facebook”. Besides which we have received numerous messages from our friends complaining about Zarganis’ spamming them via Facebook in an attempt to get us and our friends to back off from exposing the Marengo scam.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christian De Boeck on March 23, 2009 at 8:27pm: It is becoming increasingly evident that everything about George “Jo Jo” Marengo is a fraud and a lie, even his clearly fabricated, fanciful family history.

“Andoni Zarganis” does not exist, but is a fictional persona invented by Marengo. The name is a composite taken from his parents names, Andoni Marengo and Maria Zarghanis.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christian De Boeck on March 23, 2009 at 9:21pm: More farcical, idiot illiterate crapola from the intellectually challenged Antoine Marengo (his spelling and grammar is REAL good! - just what you'd expect from a director of a respectable "WORLD ART FOUNDATION") to one of our members:

"Greetings, I am writing you in response to a claim disputing payment for your membership. We have responded on paypal and you will be receiving this response shortly.

There was a statement attached on the Paypal claim stating that The World Art Foundation is a scam.
[It most certainly IS a SCAM].
This is an unfounded accusation.
[Oh, really!? - then prove it!]
We are a reputable well established organization
[The fact is that the WAF was only "established" a short while ago and so far only exists on the internet.]
that works very hard to provide a genuin [can't spell genuine either] service to all it's members. If you have any specific complaints
[In fact we have MANY specific complaints, to which we have to date NOT received a single satisfactory response.]
that we can address we will be more than happy to do so. Please go to our website at www.worldartfoundation.org to view our credibilty.
[How can anyone believe their "credibilty" when they can't even SPELL the word CREDIBILITY correctly!?]
While you are ther pleae [there please] view

1. Our members: View our members. We desing [what?] a personal page for each member and put it up on our site.
We are adding new members daily.
2. our new page: see the report on facebook members that have visited our head quarters and toured the exhibiting venues and made a report.
[We've had people check out their so-called headquarters - and it's an EMPTY building!]
View our advisory board members. view our members that [should be "who"] have donated there [should be "their"] work to the World Art musium. [Can't spell museum either.]
See photos of our new headquarters.
[An empty building.]
3. View our members.
[Many of whom are/were NOT members and are listed without their knowledge or permission for which we have more than eniough proof.]
We desing [what?] a personal page for each member and put it up on our site. We are adding new members daily.
4. Check out our publishing company at www.umbrellapublishing.com. We publish 21 luxuray [can't spell luxury either] magazines that have been a voice for artists."
[The so-called "21 luxury magazines" are of the fluff Junkmail type - filled with ads for plastic surgeons - you throw away.]; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christian De Boeck on March 23, 2009 at 9:23pm: Some more semi-literate poppycock and misrepresentation recently posted on the WAFs Facebook groups:

“WAF is a non profit organization. That means it does not operate to make profit.

[A “non-profit” organisation does NOT charge membership, advertising, exhibition fees, etc., which the WAF most certainly does. There is NOTHING for FREE as far as the WAF is concerned and you will pay for whatever you are so naive as to sign up for (by PayPal or Credit Card [non-refundable]), and can count yourself fortunate if YOU have anything to show for it at the end of the day. Also, unless you put a stop to it they will be taking money out of your PayPal/Credit card account for ever more.]

WAF promotes emerging artists living in 30 countries who have never sold a piece of art in the USA. This is done because of the simple reason that WAF believes in their talent.

[The fact is that they will accept anyone naive enough to fall and sign up for their scam.]

These artists have been provided with galleries to carry their art and sell them in the USA. This is an amazing achievement never accomplished before with so many artists in such a short time.

[Name/list the artists and the galleries?]

WAF provided for 250 emerging artists $500 each in sponsorship to enable them to exhibit. Never such generosity has ever been done before even by cultural or philanthropic organization anywhere in the world.

[There is NO sponsorship and the $500 they claim to provide to “emerging artists” doesn’t exist. It’s just another blatant lie and all part of the scam.]

Not one single emerging artist paid anything to exhibit at the World Art expo. Not one. [But we know of quite a few who have paid money into Marengo’s account via PayPal who have been refused refunds.]

Who is financing this? The Marengo Family Fund.

[Remember that they claimed they had “sponsors” (plural). Any legitimate arts organisation lists and gives a link to their sponsors on their web sites. The WAF has and had NO sponsors and this is just one of their very many blatant lies.]

The success of World Art Expo 09 will be the confirmation of the most important art organization dedicated to to the arts and the wellbeing of the artists.”

[What legitimate arts organisation already predicts “success” before it has even successfully organised a single event!?]

Membership of the WORLD ART FOUNDATION is most certainly NOT for FREE.

Read all the fine print carefully and you will recognise all the elements of a typical bullshit scam pyramid scheme. (They even charge a non-refundable “review and processing fee” of $8.95 for approval by their so-called “admitting committee”):

“*Please note that there is a review and processing fee of $8.95, Its is non-refundable even if your art is not accepted or deleted due to a violation of terms.”

http://www.worldartfoundation.org/Contest%20Non%20Mem%20fees.html

The fact is that, according to their website:

http://www.worldartfoundation.org/Contest.html
Participation fee
An Participation fee of US $100 for members and $200 for non-members. Entry fees are to be paid online using credit card and no other method of payment will be accepted. If you do not have a credit card, please seek the help of a friend payments can be made online using our secure gateway and are not live transactions. The card will not be debited until after your entry has been completed and approved to the satisfaction of our art director.

CONTEST: Participation Fees:
Member Exhibition Fees $100
Contest Entry Fees $200

MEMBERSHIP
http://www.worldartfoundation.org/WAF%20Membership.html

http://www.worldartfoundation.org/Converted%20PDF%20Files/Exhibit%2...

Never mind the exorbitant fees they originally charged, of which we have proof and a record in the form of saved pages from their website.

So, “Non-profit” my foot!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Brajanne on March 26, 2009 at 12:03pm: Scott rose
New York, New York
U.S.A.
Submitted: 3/14/2009 9:42:40 AM
Modified: 3/14/2009 4:46:04 PM

Serial Scammer JoJo Marengo starts World Art Institute [Foundation]
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/304/RipOff0304069.htm

Publisher JoJo Marengo, a serial scammer, has now started something called the World Art Institute [Foundation].

Involved with him in it are Monique Marengo and Antoine Marengo.

After I involved writer's advocate Angela Hoy of Writer's Weekly in an attempt to collect the $750 of contractual obligations JoJo Marengo has not yet paid me, I heard from other victims of JoJo Marengo in California.

One was an advertiser in one of his magazines, from whom he had taken money without ever running an ad.

That person told me he was suing JoJo Marengo, and that when the papers server arrived at JoJo Marengo's office, they found a commercial property landlord telling him and showing him that JoJo Marengo had fled the premises, leaving them in a total mess, the night before the lease was to run out.

That victim of JoJo Marengo however found a new address for him and the papers were served there.

I have communications from other victims of JoJo Marengo.

Again, names of people involved in the serial scamming include JoJo Marengo, Monique Marengo and Antoine Marengo. They have now started The World Art Institute, [Foundation].

Do not trust these serial scammers with a penny of your money. Do not waste one second of your professional time on them. They will cheat you, steal from you, and lie.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christian De Boeck on March 26, 2009 at 12:20pm: The noose is tightening around fraudster Marengo's neck!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christian De Boeck on April 2, 2009 at 3:59pm: STOP PRESS

BINGO - BOMBSHELL!!!

It turns out that the fraudsters behind the fake 9/11 photos are none other than our George "Jo Jo" "WORLD ART FOUNDATION" Marengo and his namesake cuzywuzy http://www.facebook.com/people/George-Marengo/1613121140 in New York, who operates the "Move Master" removal company http://movemaster.us/:

"PLEASE ANSWER SIX QUESTIONS BELOW NOW - Get Five Dollars Off - NOW."

WOW!!! - all of "FIVE DOLLARS OFF - NOW."!!! - You'll make FAT shits from that "discount" for sure!!!

copyright © 2001-2006 George Marengo, 911@MoveMaster.US
Call 212-537-6529 for Permission to Use
Web image hosting provided by http://www.MoveMaster.us; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christian De Boeck on April 5, 2009 at 11:17pm: To view George "Jojo" Marengo's and his son Antoine's and daughter Monique's criminal records GO TO: http://preview.ussearch.com/preview/ala/newsearch?adID=10002101&...; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Christian De Boeck on August 26, 2009 at 1:03pm: “World art foundation sponsored all but one of the over 400 artists by paying the $500 for each for the artists' exhibiting fee. Never such generosity was ever extended by a country's cultural ministry or non profit organization for a single event. Besides the shipping expense, the artists did not have to pay to exhibit at the world art expo 09 in California.”

Here is just one question I challenge this person to answer: 400 x $500 is $200,000; name just one artist who the Marengo gang has paid even one cent to – never mind $500. We know of artists who did pay to exhibit and were refused refunds when the wanted to back out, after which the Marengo’s added the “no refunds” clause. The money, if any money changed hands at all, was paid to themselves to claim as a tax deduction, the WAF being primarily a tax dodge for the Marengo's. (They claimed that this money was to come from "sponsors", but could not name a single sponsor because there were none.)

Just read the posts above to inform one self of all the other false claims the WAF made prior to their kitsch expo, not a single one of which was fulfilled, which again is fraud or at the very least false and fraudulent marketing.

To date the Marengo’s have not been able to answer even a single one of our “allegations” based on facts for which we have provided abundant and irrefutable proof.

Of course this person hasn’t bothered to check the facts or knows them and is just fronting for the Marengo’s. We have over and over provided ample incontrovertible documented proof here and on two Facebook groups in particular; beginning with the facts of their fraudulently including artist friends of mine on the WAF website without their knowledge or permission, thus giving the false impression that they were WAF members. That is what initially drew my attention to the Marengo’s and their scam and led me to inform my friends of this. Cheval was the person responsible for the fraudulent inclusion of these artists as Marengo wouldn’t have known about them. We have even included links to the Marengo’s criminal records and proof of the hundreds of thousands of dollars he owes in unpaid bills.

This cut-and-paste job from the WAF propaganda is an insult to one’s intelligence and is nothing but spam. It is indicative of the low intelligence of those attracted to the WAF because no one else is interested in their bad art and they have few other options than to join the Marengo’s internet kitsch empire.

“vk” is more than likely George’s retarded son Antoine.

vk said:
This post is just plain slander and the typical sort of sniveling that only jealousy can fuel. I attended the WAF Grand Opening and met face to face with Michael Cheval at the same. When was the last time you met him? Don't believe me? Visit the WAF website. Meanwhile, here are some real facts that you can take into consideration....

On April 10th 2009 WAF opened a 5,100 square feet Gallery in 1555 E Imperial Hwy in the Brea Plaza in the city of Brea.

The Mayor of Fullerton, CA issued a proclamation in the name of the city council and the citizens of Fullerton welcoming World Art Foundation to Fullerton. copy of the proclamation on http://www.facebook.com/l/;worldartfoundation.org/Expo_09.html

World art foundation sponsored all but one of the over 400 artists by paying the $500 for each for the artists' exhibiting fee. Never such generosity was ever extended by a country's cultural ministry or non profit organization for a single event. Besides the shipping expense, the artists did not have to pay to exhibit at the world art expo 09 in California.

World Art Foundation, presently with over 50,000 artists members in their cyber groups, is considered the world's largest art organization. WAF continues to grow daily. In 2010 Expos are planed in many countries and many states in the US.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by dawn hilton on August 31, 2009 at 10:09am: I don't think we need to prove any more than what is already up on the net and facebook Christian.

I think we have a worm hole that needs fixing it the site, but there again I like it when worms appear they kinda stand out from the Maggots.x

It just makes them look more like the fools that they are to our supporters.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Otto Rapp on September 24, 2009 at 12:23am: A post that is making it's rounds on facebook:

I received an interesting email and all I ask is that you ponder this :

Adam Reeder Sculptor 23 septembre, à 16:24
They are Jojo and Antione Marengo, with the World Arts Foundation. Stay the heck away from them!!!

I recently had an encounter with the WAF you should know about before ever getting involved with that place.

They said I was excepted into a show at the Monarch gallery in La Jolla. "great" I thought. Later I was told I needed to be a "Maser Eleite" in order to show, to get that status, one must have work in a museum, I told them I did have work in a museum. Then I was told, you had to have work in the WAF museum in order to get that status. I must donate $75,000 worth of my art to the WAF If I want that.

I thought this was fishy, so I called the galley he said was having the show, I was told they only met the WAF last week, and no arrangements had been made for any show.

This group calls itself altruistic, they are crooks.
These folk are con men, they are trying to grow at the expense of ambitious, hopeful, and naive artists.

This is a warning. I hope you folks listen and stay the heck away from those guys. and if you are friends with them UNFRIEND THEM FAST!!

Please spread the word, I can't believe these crooks are still on facebook.

Adam; ▶ Reply to This