The art of Fraud

When I first heard about Rosie Ruiz cheating in the Boston Marathon, I was pretty upset. What's interesting is that because of her fraudulent behavior, she became somewhat of a celebrity. The same thing has occurred in the art world with people like David Stein and Han Van Meegeren. Though the artists who created forgeries of greater painters were often put in jail, their names were suddenly in the spotlight. It seems any time there is scandal or controversy, it will attract attention to the person involved. Thomas Kinkade is the perfect example of this when his bad business dealings and somewhat shady behavior were pointed out in contrast to his supposedly divinely inspired landscapes. His works suddenly were in high demand after Kincade was sued. In the art world, fraud isn't limited to the artists either. In April of 2011, an art gallery owner, Alan Kass, was charged with selling phony artwork that he passed off as originals. It can't be helped that these people were thrown into the spotlight once the news of their cheating ways became apparent.


Perhaps the most renowned art forger is Elmyr de Hory from Hungary. Oddly enough, a great deal of the information that has been compiled about the artist came from another con artist, Clifford Irving. Elmyr was so successful as a swindler, because he was so good at copying the great artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Renoir and Modigliani. In a strange twist of fate, one of de Hory's art dealers swindled him out of a great deal of money when the two were traveling and selling de Hory's forgeries. Before an investigation was launched, Elmyr's paintings were bought by many prestigious museums and art galleries. Though he was never charged with forgery, de Hory spent two months in jail. Because it couldn't be proven that he created the forgeries in Spain where he was tried, he was charged with consorting with criminals and homosexuality instead. De Hory was one of the subjects of a documentary by Orson Wells. In addition, his name appears in the lyrics of songs, and his life is the subject of a play.

Elmyr de Hory -forgery of Modigliani

Elmyr de Hory -forgery of Matisse

David Stein was arrested several times for theft before he became successful in art forgeries.  He focused on copying the style of Marc Chagall, but he could produce works that looked like those of Picasso, Klee, Braque and Matisse as well. A book called Three Picassos before breakfast (Mémoirs of an Art Forger's wife by Anne Marie Stein as told to Georges Carpozi, Jr (Hawthorn Book Inc) was written by Stein's first wife. Because Stein offered his paintings at too low a price compared to the originals he copied, suspicion was aroused and an investigation ensued. He was living in New York at the time and spent time in jail there. After his prison term ended, he was deported to France where he spent more time in jail.

Book about Stein

Stein forgery of Chagall

Many forgers started out with their own style and attempted to have a successful career. In the case of Han Van Meegeren, his work was not well received by critics. Feeling slighted and in retaliation, he set out to copy the masters so exactly that people couldn't tell the difference. In one case, it took him six years to create what he felt was the perfect forgery. Van Meegren's art deals eventually sold one of his forgeries to a Nazi banker and art dealer, Alois Miedl in 1942. The painting was then sold to Hermann Goring. When Allied forces enter the scene, Goring hid his collection of artwork, but the Allied forces found all of the hidden works and among them what looked like an unknown Vermeer. An investigation was held, and Ven Meegeren ended up confessing that he had forged the piece. Van Meegeren was then put on trial. With the help of a chemical laboratory, it was discovered that the artist had used a plastic bonding agent in his work called Abertol that wasn't found in originals by Vermeer. Other inconsistencies were found, and the artists was sentenced to at least a year in jail. While waiting to be placed in jail, Van Meegeren was basically a free man, but his declining health kept him close to home. He diefd before ever serving time in jail.

The Supper at Emmaus by Han van Meegeren (1936) in the style of Vermeer

There are new and changing copyright laws that protect pieces of artwork now. Everything from music, books and paintings can be copyrighted, and the laws vary from country to country. However, controversy around forgeries still erupts today. It is generally not frowned upon to be inspired by other people's work, but direct copies leave a sour taste in most people's mouth. In early December of 2011, art forgery scandals rocked the New York art scene. Some of New York's top art dealers are under investigation by federal authorities for possibly selling forged paintings by many of the master painters. In an article by Theimproper, it was stated that, "The Knoedler gallery shut its doors on Wednesday and has been sued by a London collector who bought one of the allegedly forged works, “Untitled 1950” by Pollock, for $17 million in 2007.
The collector’s forensic analysis found that two paints in the work had not been invented until after Pollock’s death, the suit claims.
At least 15 other works brought to market by Rosales over a period of nearly two decades have been questioned by experts, according to the Times.
The paintings were allegedly bought by the unnamed collector in the 1950s directly from the artists.
The works were later passed on to the son of the original collector, who reportedly lives in Mexico and Switzerland and has insisted on remaining anonymous."

Possible forged Jackson Pollock