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Fake And Forged Art Featured At The Victoria And Albert Museum
The exhibition is called The Art of Crime. Works by forgers such as the convicted Shaun Greenhalgh show how far an expert con artist will go to fleece an unsuspecting buyer.
The exhibition includes fake Egyptian masks, fake statues such as one that pretended to have been created by Paul Gauguin, a fake Egyptian statue, and a fake Alberto Giacometti. Some of the pieces represent the culmination of years of work, others were created with relatively simple tools and quite short periods of time.
For example, the forger Peter Ashley Russell was convicted of buying inexpensive Victorian silver, stamping it with forged hallmark punches that indicated it was from the more valued Georgian period, and then selling the silver as if it were genuinely from the Georgian era. This exhibition includes the forged hallmark punches that Russell used to commit his crimes.
Though Shaun Greenhalgh is now in prison, he cooperated with this exhibition. He explained how he and his parents worked in a tiny garden shed to create bogus masterpieces that were mistakenly authenticated by experts around the world. For nearly two decades, the family created a stunning variety of works: a fake alabaster Egyptian statue from 1500 BC, fake Assyrian wall reliefs from 600 BC, and watercolor paintings falsely attributed to the American painter Thomas Moran.
The Greenhalgh family legacy also includes a forged Samuel Peploe painting, a fake ancient Roman silver plate (which Greenhalgh created by melting down inexpensive old Roman coins), ceramic sculptures, a pastel painting supposedly by Lawrence Stephen Lowry, and more than a dozen other works.
One of the more amazing things about their crime spree is the amazing variety of pieces they created-they range from fake ancient marble statues to fake 20th century paintings. Outside of the circle of forgers, you almost never see a single artist pursue such a wide variety of media and styles.
Greenhalgh and his family were featured in a 2009 BBC television program called “The Antique Rogues Show.” From prison, Greenhalgh complained that the program distorted his family history. But he did cooperate with this exhibit.
When you attend the exhibition, you’ll be entertained by the brazen confidence the forgers exhibited in attempting to pass their works off as genuine. At the same time, you can also learn some valuable tips that will save you heartache and loss if you were ever presented with a potential purchase that doesn’t turn out to be what it purports.
In your collecting, remember the old adage to “trust but verify.” It’s exciting to make a find, and to score a great deal. But the odds of an individual collector making a successful purchase in a hazy marketplace are dwarfed by the odds that the piece will be overvalued, stolen, or an out-and-out fake.
Experienced collectors often turn to museum replicas as an alternative. Museum replicas can fill your home with the style and distinction you desire, without bringing the attendant risks.
About the Author
Anne Jackson Hart retails original and reproduction art, including Greek Statues, at www.annejacksonhart.com.