A "60 Minutes" expose casts doubt on the abilities of a 4-year-old prodigy whose abstract paintings have sold for up to $24,000, the New York Post reported.
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CBS' "60 Minutes Wednesday" planned to air a video showing Marla Olmstead struggling to produce one of her works at her Binghamton, N.Y. home, even though she has been hailed as an artistic phenomenon.
The girl's supporters told the newspaper the filming was not a fair test. It secretly captured Olmstead's month-long effort with her parents' permission.
"It's like watching Joe Montana have a bad game and decide he's a bad quarterback," her father, Mark Olmstead, said.
While the CBS program is careful not to label the child a fraud, the video and conclusions of a child psychologist raise doubts about her abilities, the newspaper said.
Even so, the painting Olmstead did create sold for $9,000 in an hour, her art dealer said.