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The Prime Minister says putting her name to an art work that was not her own was an error of judgement that she now regrets.
The painting raised $1,000 for the charity group, Save Animals from Exploitation (SAFE), at a celebrity auction three years ago when Helen Clark was leader of the opposition.
A director of SAFE, Anthony Terry, says 25 people, including Clark, were asked to submit their own work for charity but the organisation has just discovered that another artist painted the abstract landscape which was signed by Clark.
Auckland businessman Henry Van Dijk bought the painting at the celebrity art auction three years ago.
Van Dijk says a journalist alerted him to the fact someone else painted the abstract landscape and now he does not want it hanging in his house.
He says, at the time, he had every reason to believe the abstract landscape was authentic.
Van Dijk says while he understands the prime minister is going to reimburse him, she has not contacted him personally.
And although he does not want her to paint him another landscape, he would like an apology - with Helen Clark's signature on it.
In a written statement Clark admits she made a mistake but says that at the time she was only trying to be helpful to a charity.
While apologising for her error of judgement, she says politicians are under a lot of pressure to help good causes and she is not the only MP to have contributed to a charity in this way.
The woman who did the painting with the prime minister's signature is Lauren Phouhy from Paraparaumu.
She believes it's all a storm in a teacup and that perhaps somebody has been sitting on the information until election year.
Former prime minister Jenny Shipley says there is some pressure from charities but she always did her own paintings.
"If I can't do it, I can't do it. If it's a simple request I try to knock something up."
