Tom Keating:
A real character, this cockney house painter was imprisoned for fraud when he tried to pass off 13 of his drawings as the work of British painter Samuel Palmer. He later confessed to having painted 2,000 "Sexton Blakes" (fakes).
Here's an article that discusses how Keating and others became famous for their fakes! You will find all of our famous forgers get mentioned in the article.
3 comments:
Hi! I was in New York last October and I bought "Shooting Gallery". I'm French and that was the first book I read in English. I looooved it! Annie Kincaid is so funny and so are her friends... Well, I study communication and art, especially contemporary art. I must admit I kind of have the same opinion than Annie about it. Thanks to your book I started to learn more about art forgery and art technics.
Just a question: Don't you think it's more difficult to forger an art work in our new century, becaus eof the new technology and the fact that most of the pieces of art are listed more precisely?
Anyway, I hope your books will be translated in French someday. But, for now, I have to import them from the USA...
P.S: sorry for my bad English.
Hello! And thank you for your wonderful posting! Your English is very good, by the way; I'm sure you've seen some problems with my French in the Art Lover's Mystery Series, but after all, that is part of the joke in the books...Grandfather is not a native speaker.
Yes, newer artworks, in general, are harder to forge. As you say, this is in part because the provenance is much more closely monitored. Also, very modern artworks may utilize numerous devices to evade forgery, such
as including DNA markers in the paint, or incorporating electronic
devices into the very structure of the work.
That's one of the reasons Grandfather plays with older paintings, rather than new. That, and because he does not enjoy modern art!
However, it's important to keep in mind that even though there are many methods to detect forgeries, they are only as good as their application.
Scientific tests are time-consuming and costly. Some of the best forgers use ordinary latex house paint or acrylics (both developed mid-2oth-century) to pass off copies. If no one ever tests the chemical make-up of the paint, they get away with it.
Thanks again for your posting -- let's hope the books are translated
into French soon!
Regards, Hailey
Hailey Lind
Feint of Art (2006); Shooting Gallery (2006); Brush with Death (July, 2007)
So there will always be ways to forger. I think that's a part of the deal...
Thank you so much for this answer.
I hope there will be more books !
Nadine.
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