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Inside Anna Delvey’s NYC exhibition featuring fake heiress’ ‘$500K artwork that was SMUGGLED out of ICE detention’
ANNA Delvey has gone from a "fake heiress" to an artist with a buzzy solo show featuring the work she has created from jail which is supposedly valued at a whopping $500,000.
The Sun attended the exhibition by the infamous "Soho Grifter," whose real name is Anna Sorokin, at New York City's Public hotel on Thursday night.
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The convicted fraudster, who scammed hotels, friends, and banks of hundreds of thousands, was released from prison on February 11, 2021, after serving three years of her sentence.
But six weeks after her release, she was taken back into custody for overstaying her visa and remains in ICE detention today.
Being behind bars has not stopped Delvey from cashing in on her celebrity as models showcased her 20 artworks and carried them across the bar, which featured drinks like the “Anna on ICE."
The co-founder of the group that purchased Delvey's art, Patrick Peters, told The Sun they're selling 48 percent of Anna's collection. which he said is valued at $500,000.
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"We had to mail in a lot of stuff [to Delvey], and 90 percent of it was confiscated," Peters exclusively told The Sun at the packed event in Manhattan.
"Anna's the real deal artist," Peters said. "The hope is eventually to sell it to one of the bigger auction houses."
"Anna has been through a lot of pain. She's used her art as an escape and as redemption. So this is redemption," he added.
According to Delvey's art dealer Chris Martine, art supplies like acrylic paints have been confiscated in jail, so her art materials have consisted of colored pencils and pens.
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But Martine has been much more successful getting inspiration material to Delvey inside the Orange County Correctional Facility in New York, as he told .
Delvey reportedly asked for pictures of familiar places that inspire her, including the five-star hotel in Marrakech where her friend Rachel Williams infamously was left to pay the hefty bill.
Another source of inspiration for Delvey is Passages, the Malibu rehab center where she was arrested in 2017.
The swanky exhibit featured sketches Delvey completed while being held in the Orange County Correctional Facility in Goshen, New York.
After the attendees had arrived, the exhibition was introduced with an audio recording: "Hi everyone, Anna Delvey here," she said.
"I'm so very excited to unveil my first ever art collection titled 'Allegedly.' This is a collection of sketches I created while in ICE Orange County Detention."
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"I wanted to capture some of the moments over the past years, both never seen before and iconic, using the limited tools I have at my disposal," she said.
Models decked out in sheer black hoods and sunglasses strutted through the throng of people to showcase Anna's work, which included sketches of incidents many fans will recognize.
Last night's show is a follow-up of sorts to the “Free Anna” art show held in March on the Lower East Side.
Her lawyer also addressed the crowd and explained that his famous client was fighting her deportation, before roaring "free Anna!" to applause from the crowd.
PRISON CHIC
Shortly after 9 PM, Anna herself appeared via video call, decked out in her yellow prison attire.
When one attendee jokingly asked, "Who are you wearing?" Delvey promptly stood up and modeled her orange jumpsuit cheered on by the enthusiastic crowd.
"It's "amazing to see everybody," she gushed. "I have so many people texting me on my GTL app saying how awesome everything is."
Delvey was asked a handful of questions during the call, with some wondering if she has a favorite sketch in her new collection.
"I love 'Vanilla Ice' because it represents what I'm going through right now," Delvey responded.
"Is it because there's a lot of white people in ICE?" someone in the crowd asked, to which Anna replied: "No, it's because there are none."
ICE has not immediately responded to The Sun's request for comment.
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Delvey also fielded questions during the video chat about her artwork and the process of creating behind bars.
"They just have the worst of everything," Delvey said about the supplies available to her at both the Rikers and Orange County facilities where she has been held.
Delvey said she was given a "security pencil" that she says is "impossible to sharpen."
"Chris ordered me some paper and colored pencils from Amazon, and those were the only things I was able to have."
When asked about additional supplies and items, Delvey said: "Yeah I cannot be trusted with a pencil sharpener" due to the safety and security threat the item poses.
SOROKIN'S STORY
Anna was pretending to be a wealthy German heiress before she was convicted of fraud.
Born in Russia in 1991, she moved to Germany with her family when she was 16 years old.
She moved to New York City in 2013 and adopted the persona of a German heiress, ultimately conning Manhattan socialites, banks, and hotels out of thousands of dollars.
Delvey was charged with grand larceny in 2018 and was found guilty on six counts in 2019.
She was sentenced to a maximum of 12 years in prison but was released in February 2021.
Delvey stole a total of $225k from Manhattan socialites, banks, and hotels.
She jumped right back into the socialite lifestyle after being released from jail in 2021.
But just six weeks after her March 2021 release, she was taken back into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for overstaying her visa.
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In her short-lived freedom, Delvey posted her luxurious life on her Instagram account, reveling in the notoriety and sharing articles about herself.
The story was made into Netflix series that retells Delvey's fall from grace from a seemingly elite Manhattan socialite and fashionista to an exposed scammer with a terrible reputation.
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