Art Lovers discussion

The counterfeiters: Inside the world of art forgery

The Independent

The booming art market means that crime really can pay, especially if you know how to knock up a phoney Picasso or dodgy Dali. Following the conviction of the most prolific counterfeiting gang in British history, Rob Sharp goes on the trail of a very crafty breed of criminal


In his dusty back office at the British Museum, John Curtis sat in slack-jawed disbelief. Down a crackly telephone line, an elderly man with a broad Bolton accent was describing three stone objects that had fallen into his possession, after apparently lying neglected in a garage for decades. The relics had battle scenes carved into their cracked surface and, according to the caller's story, had been bought by his father at a car-boot sale years before.

Article... http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-ent...

A Lady, but Not a First Lady


Left, the altered portrait depicting Mrs. Lincoln; right, the restored image, an unknown woman without a Lincoln brooch.

By PATRICIA COHEN
The New York Times

For 32 years, a portrait of a serene Mary Todd Lincoln hung in the governor’s mansion in Springfield, Ill., signed by Francis Bicknell Carpenter, a celebrated painter who lived at the White House for six months in 1864.

The story behind the picture was compelling: Mrs. Lincoln had Mr. Carpenter secretly paint her portrait as a surprise for the president, but he was assassinated before she had a chance to present it to him.

Now it turns out that both the portrait and the touching tale accompanying it are false.

More... http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/art...

Police raid criminal gang suspected of faking antiquities

Alleged forgers used x-ray machine to cheat dating tests; arrests include boxer and hospital nurse

By Tina Lepri and Ermanno Rivetti
The Art Newspaper

"...The x-rays interfered with the outcome of any thermoluminescence testing of these modern pieces. Thermoluminescence is the faint light emitted by a ceramic that has been fired at a sufficiently high temperature. This light can be measured to establish the age of the piece; the brighter the light, the older the piece. Test results are invalidated if the piece is exposed to radiation.

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articl...

Did anyone notice the article on forged abstract expressionists, including Rothko, Motherwell, Pollack, in last Sunday's NY Times? Here's a link
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/art...
Sorry I can't pretty it up, I'm posting from an iPad which has only primitive capabilities. Or minimal perhaps I should say. Anyway, I found the article incredibly interesting. Brief summary: everyone sues everyone else.

9 Famous Art Forgers
Wynne Parry

"To trick the art world has been the primary motivation of nearly all of history's known forgers," writes Noah Charney, a professor and author who specializes in art history and crime, in text for an exhibit focused on one such forger who appears to break this rule.

Mark Landis (b. 1955)
Mark Landis is believed to have presented more than 100 forged works of art to museums across 20 U.S. states...He says he was first motivated by a desire to please his mother and honor his father, then became addicted to the VIP treatment he received from museum staff.

Michelangelo Buonarotti (1475-1564)
Yes, this is the Michelangelo of the Sistine Chapel. He began his sculpting career by passing off his early marble sculpture, Sleeping Eros as an ancient Roman statue in order to fetch a much better price.

Icilio Federico Joni (1866-1946)
Joni spent many years as a successful art forger, fooling the art historian Bernard Berenson. When Berenson realized he had purchased fakes, he traveled to Italy to meet Joni, expressing his admiration.

William Sykes (18th century)
Forgery isn't just about making a convincing copy. During the 18th century, William Sykes convinced the Duke of Devonshire that an anonymous painting of an unidentified saint was actually a portrait by Jan van Eyck, whose works claimed the highest prices at auction of any artist at the time, according to Charney.

Han van Meegeren (1889-1947)
The Dutch forger's work was uncovered after World War II, when a previously unknown Johannes Vermeer painting turned up in a Nazi leader's collection. The painting was traced back to Van Meegeren, who had been dismissed as an original artist; he was charged with selling a Dutch national treasure and collaborating with the enemy.
(for more on this forgery artist, check out the book by Jonathan Lopez: The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren

Tom Keating (1917-1984)
This British artist, too, turned to forgery after the art world dismissed his original works. He created more than 2,000 forgeries of works from more than 100 artists

John Myatt (b. 1945)
Myatt collaborated with his dealer, John Drewe, forging work by Chagall, Giacometti and others to match fake records for the work, which Drewe created. These were inserted into real archives, so scholars would later "discover" them.

Eric Hebborn (1934-1996)
A graduate of London's Royal Academy of Art, Hebborn began making forgeries after a famous London art dealer bought a real drawing from him, then sold it for many times more.

Shaun Greenhalgh (b. 1961)
Convicted of forgery in November 2008, Greenhalgh and his octogenarian parents were involved in the most wide-reaching forgery campaign of all time.

http://www.livescience.com/19518-famo...

More and more I can see why digital painting is frowned upon in certain art circles. All this history of fraud and deception, it all seems like a game, and for me the game is an insult to art. But then I am a dreamer.

Lawrence wrote: "More and more I can see why digital painting is frowned upon in certain art circles. All this history of fraud and deception, it all seems like a game, and for me the game is an insult to art. But ..."

What's digital painting got to do with art forgery? A computer is just a tool. Like any other tool it does what you tell it to.

I highly recommend The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez. Well written and fascinating.

I totally agree with that assessment Ruth. However, with digital painting something new arrives on the scene, which is the term, "multiple originals".

With one original forgery becomes 'manageable'; with multiple originals it's a whole different game.

Heather wrote: "
9 Famous Art Forgers
Wynne Parry

"To trick the art world has been the primary motivation of nearly all of history's known forgers," writes Noah Charney, a professor and author who specializes in ..."

Thanks for this post, Heather. I've always found the Berenson/Joni story quite interesting!!

Lawrence wrote: "I totally agree with that assessment Ruth. However, with digital painting something new arrives on the scene, which is the term, "multiple originals".

With one original forgery becomes 'manageable..."

We've had multiple originals for hundreds of years. Lithographs, etchings, woodcuts, engravings, serigraphs....

Maybe you could explain what you mean more clearly?

lithographs, etc. are limited in the sense that the plates can be destroyed, and one print can be noticeably different than the other. With digital painting there is the issue of the original being in a digital file, although there can still be subtle differences from one print to another, intentional or not.

What's interesting about the market for forgeries and originals is that the buyers and sellers are basically part of the same small group of people, relative to the general population.

As an aside, I noticed recently that the Vatican has been active in forgery for quite some time, something to do with some rather large doors.

I see your point. All the more reason not to buy something that's signed in the plate, (file as the case may be) instead of individually

There's an irony in that isn't there? The value of the art being tied to the signature. hmmm

Lawrence wrote: "There's an irony in that isn't there? The value of the art being tied to the signature. hmmm"

I see it as the signature authenticating the art.

well, to put that in different perspective, here's how I see it:

http://blending-circles.com/collectio...

Thanks, Lawrence, for posting your article that was very interesting. I also liked what little I saw of your painting on your blog.
I find the issue of forgery very interesting. I loved Jonathan's book and will be reading others from time to time. It does seem, as you mentioned somewhere, that forgeries seem to be done for others in the art world more so than just for money, although of course money is part of it. But forgers seem to get the biggest high out of fooling the experts. What great mysteries these forgeries make for the rest of us who are not directly involved!
As for me, I just bought a copy of an old French movie poster from the 30s. It cost me about 20 euros for the poster and the shipping. When it arrives I'll get it framed and will enjoy it as much as anyone else's million-dollar art work. The poster is attractive and is from one of my all-time favorite films, so that I will be constantly reminded of the film. Happiness!

Thanks Dvora,

I hope you enjoy your poster, and I'm sure you will and it reminds me of an art history student told me awhile ago.
She said that I have to decide whether I wanted my art to be considered fine art (museum quality) OR decorative.

If you get what I'm saying about multiple originals then you'll appreciate my response to her...one not both, it's the same work of art!

And if you like mischievous mysteries, you make want to ask whether Leonardo's Vitruvian Man is actually representative of two men, not one...twins...one named Peter who was sometimes called Simon, and the other being Simon who was sometimes called Peter!

This would be very much in the tradition of name changing upon taking office!

Lawrence wrote: And if you like mischievous mysteries, you make want to ask whether Leonardo's Vitruvian Man is actually representative of two men, not one...twins...one named Peter who was sometimes called Simon, and the other being Simon who was sometimes called Peter!

Interesting concept, Lawrence. I think that's quite introspective. Hmmm. Thank you!

Thanks Heather. Actually I was thinking about the very high plausibility of this brotherhood a year or two before relating it to The Vitruvian Man. It seems I look at a lot of things from a different perspective, such looking at the stories of these brothers more from a "journalistic integrity" viewpoint, and doing so leads to many questions.

I see you are a Dan Brown fan. There are other bits and pieces to this puzzle touched on in some of his writing, but this is getting perhaps off topic, so if want, you can always reach me more privately.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles...
Are Over Half the Works on the Art Market Really Fakes?

Thanks, Ed and Luis. I find art forgeries to be among the most interesting of reading material.

I recall back in the early 90's finishing up my mfa in a southern art college and one of my acquaintences/student colleagues was a bit excited that he had been offered constant work as a reproducer of famous art works in NYC. I warned him against the position, letting him know that in all likelihood he would be discovered as a forger but he insisted it was "legitimate reproduction" This classic denier was the same student who gave a talk in our art history class about Bacon, the painter, and insisted that the man's concerns were solely aesthetic and process-that there was no psychological or thematic concerns present in all those religious paintings.

Fortunately for him, he was also offered a full time position at the school we attended and took that instead, confirming in my mind how sleaze attracts sleaze. Yes, the school was involved in some very dubious financial controversies as well.

Here's an interesting case of forgery. A foundry keeps an original cast and then cranks out unauthorized copies, without the finishing touches that would have been added by the artist, and faking the signature.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/natio...

This is a really great video, with a lot about art methods and materials.
Is this painting an undiscovered forgery by the notorious forger, Hans van Meergen?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTYbv...

A pair of hapless Spanish brothers who sought to sell a fake Francisco de Goya painting to a deep-pocketed sheikh realized they’d been had when they attempted to deposit the 1.7 million Swiss francs (~$1.77 million) the buyer had given them, only to be told the bank notes were photocopies. The sheik, who has since disappeared along with the middleman who delivered the fake down payment, had allegedly agreed to pay €4 million (~$4.47 million) for the fake copy of “Portrait of don Antonio María Esquivel.”

more:
http://hyperallergic.com/187248/crime...

This is a good video of one of the most ambitious forgery plots.

Guy finds an artist who is making copies, legitimate fakes, and persuades him that it he can make hundreds of times more money by selling them as real. Gets in good with private museum collections of documentation and creates fake show catalogs referencing the original art works but with the images of the fakes replacing them to establish provenance.

It starts to become unraveled, when his wife turns on him.

King of All Art Forgeries Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ak63...

Ed wrote: "This is a good video of one of the most ambitious forgery plots.

Guy finds an artist who is making copies, legitimate fakes, and persuades him that it he can make hundreds of times more money by s..."

John Drew, who devised the con, and John Myatt, the forger, ended up serving time in prison.

John Myatt went back to making and selling copies--but never again as originals--as his own work. He's actually a sensitive and intelligent guy, with talent and really good insights into painting. And appears to wonder that he ever allowed greed to have sucked him into this. For a while, he gave up any kind of painting altogether.

He turned out OK, he ended up with his own TV show, "Art Forger's Master Class" . These are actually quite fun to watch. Each episode, he picks a famous artist, and three artists to do an original work "in the manner of" that artist. Turns out their struggle to do this gives you insights into what makes each artist special. My favorite was the tattoo artist that had to figure out how to paint like Cezanne.

Here's some of episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9o5B... 1. Hopper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9o5B... 2. Derain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeDrk... 3. Van Gogh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAZpI... 5. Hockney
You should be able to find them all on YouTube.

Ed, You're on a roll!

These are fascinating. If I had any talent for art, I'd be tempted to be an art forger, too.

They sure make lots of money!

It's interesting that Michelangelo supplemented his income by forging antiquities. Needless to say he could crank out a pretty decent "ancient" "Greek" or "Roman" sculpture, distressing it, to make it look old.

Heather wrote: "They sure make lots of money!"

They do, don't they?

I have a question. When they are caught, do they go to prison? I would guess so. Wouldn't they have a large bail, or does that have nothing to do with it?

Ed, just out of curiosity, how does one 'distress' a sculpture?

Heather wrote: "I have a question. When they are caught, do they go to prison? I would guess so. Wouldn't they have a large bail, or does that have nothing to do with it?"

I would assume so they're treated like any other criminal.

Heather wrote: "I have a question. When they are caught, do they go to prison? I would guess so. Wouldn't they have a large bail, or does that have nothing to do with it?"

It goes to intent.

Are you knowingly selling a work that you know to be fraudulent? Did you create a copy with the intent that you will deceive others into thinking it was an original and sell it as such? If it is the case of selling a forgery, but you can successfully convince everyone that you were fooled as well, you could very well escape prosecution. If you made an honest copy and sold it as such so that perhaps the dinner guests of the purchaser might be fooled by that "Picasso", but the purchaser knew it to be a copy, likewise, you are probably off the hook. The really ethical thing to do in making a copy is to sign the work with your own name, and "in the manner of" in the signature on the painting, otherwise the purchaser could use it to commit a crime.


There are probably cases where everything is "hushed up", restitution is made, and nobody goes to jail. However it is definitely a crime.

And Myatt, who is in the business of making honest reproductions now, microchips all his paintings to give an easy way of identifying them.

Another fun thing to watch is the BBC's "Fake or Fortune". They take a painting on every episode and try to prove it is legitimate. You can watch these on YouTube too.

Thank you, Ed.

“The worse the Modern Blue Chip artist, the more he’s faked. The real difficulty for the art forger isn’t in creating the painting or using the correct materials or faking a signature. Forgers require skill, confidence, knowledge of style and some chemistry. But what about the signature you may ask? Be assured that a signature on a painting, especially one done in oil paint is not difficult task. An additional hard part is to create forged documents and false paper trails to insure that a work appears genuine. Few forgeries are seriously investigated because dealers can make easy fortunes by not looking into this matter too carefully.
An expert Modern Art forger is frequently a better artist, far more skilled, and knowledgeable than the original painter and also capable of forging work of many different artists. Many forgers are disgruntled artists who began their trade because they couldn’t get ahead selling under their true name. An exposed forger justifiably brags about praise, buyer excitement and the fact that his work is prominently displayed on museum and collector walls. Why should an artwork suddenly have less aesthetic value when it suddenly revealed to be a forgery? It’s always the forger who is critically damned ignoring the fact that his work hangs in sacred places and was praised no end until detected. Exposed, the value now falls from its former heights to something closer to zero.
Several experts whose names I won’t mention estimate that about forty percent of Modern Art is forgery. Nothing exposes the lack of quality in Modern Art more than these amounts of fakes. In any case, professional and the connoisseur should be sensitive enough to distinguish the merits of one schmierer from the demerits of another.
Childish simplicity and utter lack of quality, well deserves to be forged.”
Quote from Modern Art a Portrait of Mediocrity

I'm abetting the Criminal Element again, this time with an article about the most spectacular modern art forgery scandal of the last twenty years.

Between 1994 and 2008, Knoedler & Company -- the oldest art gallery in the United States -- sold for $80 million dollars forty paintings created by some of the leading lights of Abstract Expressionism (such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko) to some of the big names in New York City's high-profile contemporary art scene.



One problem: all forty were painted by a 73-year-old Chinese artist working out of a garage in Queens.

Read the entire story -- and other good stuff besides -- on Criminal Element.

So the argument can be made to be an artist in the ilk of Heironymous Bosch rather than late Jackson Pollack. It would make your work inaccessible to forgers?