Four of the World's Most Notorious Art Forgers

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:50 - Chapter 1 - Elmyr de hory 4:35 - Chapter 2 - Thomas patrick keating 7:55 - Chapter 3 - Han van meegeren 12:00 - Chapter 4 - Wolfgang beltracchi

[@XX-sp3tt]

You left out that he was given the most minimum sentence possible. And he created a painting right there in the court room to prove he wasn't bluffing about selling a forgery. And remarked how nothing about the painting had changed, yet people wouldn't cross the street to see it for free, when before people would pay moment just for a glimpse at it. He had a point.

[@Erevos85]

scamming Goring during WW2 makes you a legend.

[@journeyofaconfusedartist]

Modigliani and Edvard Munch were constantly stolen and forged. How do we know what is real? John Drew can even forge a provenance. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oILXZpiVi7tmesUsi=b2HA6Py-XyhWbyVK

[@thomaslink2685]

Actuallly, the greatest forgers are like the greatest spies. They’ve never been discovered.

[@nosuchthing8]

Hmmm

[@brap6557]

yea true, but that’s why the title says “The most notorious forgers”

[@journeyofaconfusedartist]

Modigliani and Edvard Munch were constantly stolen and forged. How do we know what is real? John Drew can even forge a provenance. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oILXZpiVi7tmesUsi=b2HA6Py-XyhWbyVK

[@MariaM-up2he]

That’s not true

[@terryenby2304]

As an artist, it’s hard to make a penny. If people stopped being so obsessed with names, and started paying attention to things they like the look of, especially the rich… it would be a different world.

[@mikeyoung9810]

Buying what they like if they are rich doesn't mean they want to pay an amount based on how rich they are. If you put a million dollars on your art and they have a billion it doesn't mean they will want to spend a million to get it. Unless there is competition over buying it. And that puts an artificial value on the art which brings you back to where we are today.

[@XX-sp3tt]

God Bless.

[@TheAsj97]

Rich people don't buy art just because they like the art, it's to launder money. How are you an artist and not know this?

[@terryenby2304]

@@TheAsj97 for some. Sure. Many like to collect status symbols and such too.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

I disagree, I can't keep up with orders and projects.

[@lekiscool]

This is what makes me sad about dead painters getting posthumous fame. When these people sound like they were good artists but made no money… being alive.

[@ateriana5116]

Art, where the signature is worth more than the painting.

[@bigafroman4277]

Kinda takes away from the purpose of the art in the first place, doesn't it? 😞

[@warningpage8032]

@@bigafroman4277 sadly

[@mikeyoung9810]

If you like the art the value doesn't really matter. Where you get into trouble is when it stops being art and it becomes money. Treating it as money it really is just a signature on the money.

[@Battle_Beard]

Art: Yet another tax dodge.

[@jeegollyboiohboi3598]

Sorta but the art world is really just money laundering that’s accepted socially

[@svsguru2000]

The great thing about Beltracchi is, that he did not make copies of existing paintings. He made wholly original paintings in the style of famous painters, then slapped their names on them.

[@narmale]

thats why i dont get why Eric Hebborn wasnt on this... the man was killed for his crimes against the uber-wealthy... but they cant even tell his works from the old masters

[@jeffhildreth9244]

He did both. But I admire his "originals" most. Brilliant and brash. Two thumbs up

[@MtlCstr]

The college where I work has an Elmyr de Hory print done in the style of Cezanne. I understand it's value is mostly in the fact that it's one of the few works to which he signed his own name.

[@Icanbacktrailers]

I have a Cézanne by Keating. Bought at the Christie’s Auction after his death in 1984. It’s probably worth less now than it was then

[@anthonymiddleton9409]

He sold a fake picasso while picasso was still alive, the nerve of the guy

[@dees3179]

People sell fake Tracy Emin works right now. Although she has allegedly admitted she can’t remember exactly which are hers and which are not due to the condition she was in during some acts of creation…..

[@julianaylor4351]

Picasso probably thought it was funny.

[@bookapillar]

@@dees3179 I had never heard of this artist....thank you for making me Google something amazing today!😀

[@journeyofaconfusedartist]

Modigliani and Edvard Munch were constantly stolen and forged. Picasso forges sold for over £Million. The forger in my video can produce many in a day. How do we know what is real? John Drew can even forge a provenance. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oILXZpiVi7tmesUsi=b2HA6Py-XyhWbyVK

[@markraatsart5049]

Great video, many thanks. I would have added the flamboyant and talented Eric Hebborn into the mix too.

[@This_Account]

The curator has one job.

[@Craftlngo]

you have missed to put _Konrad Kujau_ in your video. Not only is he famous for the forgery of the Hitler Diaries. But he was also an excellent painter who could copy the style of nearly every old master.

[@joshdenton611]

i've always loved movies about art forgeries.

[@Ashannon888]

Funny thing is van Meegeren's are now worth quite a bit.

[@willmfrank]

To be fair, their value has less to do with van Meegeren's talent or ability and more to do with the history and notoriety.

[@michaelpopely4408]

@sideprojects you should have included Mark Landis the art forger who doesn’t do it for money in fact he gives his paintings away you could do a biographics video all about him

[@tefkas1357]

How about a Biographics on Han van Meegeren. He discovered (created) 'new works by old masters' and and narrowly avoided the death penalty for his troubles.

[@mikegrazick1795]

This video is a true work of art!

[@ProfAzimov]

Forgery seems like an art form

[@MariaM-up2he]

Not really they are fraudsters. They could write false checks it’s the same. They are not artists they are criminals. Robbed a bank could you call that an art form. They are dumb criminals, they could sell drugs or whatever.

[@gingerninja4629]

Video idea: body farms. Human remains collected and doled out for forensic training or scientific use. There's a couple notable ones in Utah and Georgia

[@Chris.Pontius]

Although it's illegal, it's just one of those crimes I really find respectful. They mainly scam rich people who are obsessed by an artist's name, you can't tell the difference and it takes a lot of skill.

[@stubbs-letterpress]

I personally don't have an issue with art forgeries. Many people have painted copies of paintings they like, and if it's a good likeness, where's the harm?

[@henrygustavekrausse7459]

What if it's bought by a museum? Museums are for the people and as such don't have much money.

[@Chris.Pontius]

@@henrygustavekrausse7459 I reckon they should use someone that can verify the painting before purchasing, but Do people enjoy it any less when viewing forged paintings in museums? If you can't tell the difference I honestly don't see the harm in it.

[@henrygustavekrausse7459]

@@Chris.Pontius If it's found out after purchase, then that museum has just lost a lot of money that it can't afford to lose.

[@rashomon66]

They don't only scam rich people. Forgers scam plenty of working and middle class people every day on Ebay and other such auction sites. It's not respectful at all. It's a scam to get rich. If they took the money and gave it to charity then maybe that would begin to be 'respectful. But seriously forgers don't just forge Picasso and Renoir. They forge artists whose work may sell for less than 5K. And they forge signatures on prints and baseballs, etc all the time. Also, the fact that people want to own work because of the artist's name is not unlike people buying books or albums or merchandise based on name recognition. We ALL do that. We don't deserve to be scammed.

[@stubbs-letterpress]

" Bad artists copy. Great artists steal. " - Picasso

[@surinfarmwest6645]

As an artist, I enjoyed this.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

A tutorial in my opinion... good stuff. I have watched many Beltracchi videos, entertaining and educational.

[@amandajones661]

Wow!! Simon's beard is amazing!!!

[@stevenboykin116]

Van Meegering, born in 1889, wanted to study art. His father wanted him to study architecture, seems familiar... I guess if he did get accepted into art school, he could have been a famous forger instead of what happened.

[@galegrazutis964]

I would love him to do a still life for me. Would be breath taking. Worth every cent

[@DJL78]

Fascinating. Every single one of these lives could be turned into a movie. Or television series.

[@michaelsherck5099]

In his autobiography, American forger Ken Perenyi claimed that he did not claim that his forgeries were originals, telling galleries and auction houses that they had been left to him by relatives, bought at flea markets, etc. He let the customer make the claims. It may have worked because despite a reputed FBI investigation he was never charged.

[@thepeff]

Buy a real Rembrandt and sell a forgery. This guy is living life in 3021

[@angrydoggy9170]

I’ve got an original Picasso for sale. I even make them on demand about any subject you want.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Currently being done in China.

[@smoothmicra]

Lol, how can you dislike these characters, duping the pretentious fops in the art world. Buyer beware!

[@drmattconrad77]

When I was in graduate school I worked with an art historian to do carbon-14 dating and chemical analysis of paintings to check for forgeries before purchase by a local gallery.

[@michaelwhite8031]

Tom Keating, the man who outparmered Parmer.

[@robswystun2766]

You had me at "all sorts of horrible stuff."

[@TheFiown]

'Fake paintings' don't exist, a painting is a painting. Art is art.

[@theoffbeatarchive9225]

Keating... Mwahhh (Chef’s Kiss).

[@ravenhill-ofthe-pitchfork-1968]

a magnificent episode.

[@josvercaemer264]

Aren't the best forgers the ones who don't get caught?

[@luciustitius]

Imho Konrad Kujau is one of the greatest forgers ever. Even if you might say his greatest successes - Hitler‘s diaries - weren’t exactly pieces of art in the strict sense; but it was an artform in itsself how he triggered the extreme drive for recognition, the greed and the craving of a few german journalists to rewrite history (an no „Fritze“ wasn‘t Hitler’s second name) - and it was a blow to the reputation to one of the two most reknowed weekly magazines in Germany (Stern) it never recovered from until today. There was a movie made about the whole thing „Schtonk“ of Helmut Dietl, absolutely hilarious.

[@fvckyoutubescensorshipandt2718]

Forgery is an art in itself. At the end of the day who cares who actually made it if no one can tell the difference?

[@narmale]

we the average and great un-washed masses are the winners in that debate... =)

[@MocharaidThree]

I dunno if this is a hot take or not but I genuinely think that if the original artist is dead, then making forgeries of their work (assuming they're high quality enough to fool experts) is a victimless crime.

[@MariaM-up2he]

Yes sure. Victimless because you don’t know them? It hurts the artist, artists are supported by collectors then the collectors don’t buy anymore. Do you like someone selling you a car that has an owner? How do you like that? That’s fraud!!!! And fraud hurt people and you should have more ethics than respect the law for a reason. One day someone will full you tell me that it didn’t affect you?

[@sonicgoo1121]

Elmyr de Hory was also the subject of the Orson Welles movie F for Fake. I'm not sure if I'd call it a good movie, but certainly interesting.

[@jcoe371]

Would be interested in more side projects about criminals maybe a book Thief list with William jacques

[@jeffsamiei]

Ken Perenyi deserves to be on the list as well!

[@This_Account]

It's the perfect crime because it exploits the fault of the curator for not doing their one job. If the curator doesn't do it, are they just going to announce to the world that they don't do their one job? Hell no!

[@XX-sp3tt]

When all you have to fake is a signature instead of faking a masterpiece.

[@unclejoe7466]

Geeze, there's not much interest in this subject, apparently. I think it's a great video.

[@Gift0r]

I am a bit disappointed that you didn't include Konrad Kujau. But then, he possibly deserves a video for himself, as he single-handedly caused one of the biggest press scandals in Germany, and sold "original Kujau-forgeries".

[@niche0boven]

The KZbin Casual Criminalist link doesn't work?

[@mvtv-montanavigilantetv5976]

20%? Har! Triggers a suggestion if applicable: many years ago but heard of an experiment/test whereupon highly-rated traditional literature was resubmitted in guise of fresh writing by unknown authors and all were summarily rejected as trash.

[@pilarantelo9555]

Very interesting but if you spoke a bit slower it would be more pleasant to listen to. Thanks

[@OneMoreJames]

I'm surprised you didn't include John Myatt. His forgeries netted about $30 million, even though he used house paint and KY-Jelly to make them. And that is both impressive, for him, and a withering indictment of "art experts". He's had a British TV show about painting like the Masters and he still paints them, but includes his own signature, so that they can't be sold as originals.

[@narmale]

and Eric... i think his researcher was alittle out of their element on this one

[@angrydoggy9170]

Lots of the forgeries are just as well done and creative as the originals. Iy would seem art isn’t so much about the work itself, but more about creating new techniques and styles. As for the value, that seems to be more of a hype thing.

[@OneMoreJames]

@@angrydoggy9170 That's the case with any art form. And it's not even about new techniques; it's about fashion, essentially. Some painters are considered great and others are not, because other people say so. You can't make an objective assessment of a subjective quality, like "good art".

[@angrydoggy9170]

@@OneMoreJames Indeed, but a tragic live and death does help.

[@TheEvilCommenter]

Good video 👍

[@wyskass861]

Isn't forgery the sincerest form of flattery?

[@robertwilloughby8050]

Hey, you can add Shaun Greenhalgh to that list - and he's still alive! He's still profiting in a small way from his crimes, and is now a respected artist in his own right.

[@drboze6781]

It's a work of beauty and a joy forever! Better yet, it's worth money. I'm not crass, I merely have a great deal of taste and refinement.

[@coprobot139]

You don't even need to swap out signatures. Second year at the Kubert School before realizing what a joke that dump was, they hired full time a guy who didn't even bother to swap out the signatures on the art he claimed was his lol

[@HasturYellowSign]

You missed an hilarious one: Eric Hebborn

[@henriroggeman7267]

Elmyr De Hory's life was documented by Orson Welles in de docudrama F For Fake. Highly recommended!

[@graemeking7336]

A few examples of their work would be welcome... Or are there issues of copyright ?

[@CashelOConnolly]

I see the only crime being committed is not telling disgustingly rich ppl that they were not originals.

[@davidstein4922]

You should have included Ken Perenyi

[@violinhunter2]

I admire forgers because they are superb artists and they fool pretentious "experts." I dislike pretentious, preening, posturing, dishonest, arrogant "experts."

[@samuelfrank4787]

Sideproject Idea: Deusenberg Model J

[@toddaulner5393]

If you could get a frame and running gear from an original it could work as the bodies were all one offs.

[@marcuspoosz2190]

now that we talk about Art, i wonder how successfull Hitler would've been if the Art school in Vienna hadn't rejected him Twice.

[@julianaylor4351]

Many real art works were lost during the Second World War, so all this forgery isn't suprising. In fact many famous artist works have been destroyed or disappeared, for many other reasons too. Beware that if you accidentally buy a forgery, some artist's estates will insist that they be destroyed, after being found to be a fake, leaving you out of pocket on the money you paid. If you want a genuine famous artist's work, it is often better to opt for prints, if the artist has done etchings, aquatints and / or screen prints, because paintings are often the target of forgers.

[@amaccama3267]

Art forgeries bah ! You should see how automotive forgeries are done. Very Very shady.

[@narmale]

pfft, they cant even bother to get the font correct of the number pad of a 350 LT1 camaro... show me a forger that has taken the time to do that

[@danielekkel2629]

Simon you could do a live on, live aid

[@zyghom]

what is the song at @4:30 ?

[@Frolkinator]

Guess they will have to use forgeries for their moneylaundring then

[@tag180rotax]

What happened to the Brainfood show?

[@anthonyvalentine4009]

BRITAIN'S No1 ART FORGER - MAX BRANDRETT, THE LIFE OF A CHEEKY FAKER biography is out now!

[@Jivolt]

No Neil Caffrey? No Curtis Hagen? You are a particular kind of…

[@daniels.2720]

...allegedly...

[@Jivolt]

@@daniels.2720 “Daniel… what are you doing?” - Peter Burke

[@thomasbernecky2078]

I think it's hilarious myself.

[@cheifwhat]

Sorry to pick you up on a technicality but forged art hasn't been around since the dawn of time. In fact, for many billion years after the big bang, there were none.

[@fvckyoutubescensorshipandt2718]

Art may be faked but I bet Simon's beard isn't.

[@JacobMoll-wn3lz]

My grandpa Stanley was a painter and ngl Elmyr de Hory looks identical to my grandpa...wtf 😮

[@mrbipolarmattyhoward6071]

Art is not how gifted a person is with creating a piece of artistic genius with qualities of extraordinary beauty creating a beautiful exquisite piece of art. means nothing to art lovers if they don’t demand the highest monetary value in their selling to the world’s richest people. Most expensive art is not a masterpieces genius but a great famous highest values in sales history that are not in any way genius created but popular known rather than exquisite masterpieces.

[@TheFiown]

Pity you didn't extrapolate on Van Meegeren, there was a lot more about the affair but mayb not enough time?

[@avgjoegaming8271]

The best was one curator forged the greats but when caught he said others forged his forgeries and they got worse and worse down the line

[@genoelch]

If Beltracchi is not no.1 then imma head out

[@genoelch]

Well..he was but no one will understand why he deserves to be no.1

[@narmale]

nah, Eric Hebborn

[@jeffhildreth9244]

He was the most intelligent and arrogant of the bunch. Also the best painter.

[@bradenvicars7112]

Do Cincinnati’s unions terminal, the biggest half dome in the west hemisphere and it is the pinnacle of Art Deco

[@judsonross6995]

Although not art per se, one man forged several dozens if not hundreds of religious artifacts. His name.... Oded Golan. Royal seals, ancient jewelry, aaand... the so called ‘tablet of King David’. The tablet was touted as genuine by several experts until an in-depth analysis of the patina as well as a grammatical error proved it to be false.

[@MusicalRaichu]

i wonder if their fakes and forgeries have been preserved and are worth anything these days.

[@1.21JJWatts]

Art, where if it isn't a forgery, it's stolen.

[@TheSlaughtermatic]

Anyone else get the feeling that this might not be a genuine Simon Whistler?

[@narmale]

uh.... Simon... whoever researched this messed up they missed the greatest forger of them all... Eric Hebborn and what about John Myatt? btw, if you want to have your mind blown, the video's of Tom Keating are on here and are an absolute amazing watch... shame they are only in one ear tho lol kzbin.info/www/bejne/aoqXeHSnlM2Ur7s

[@raycardnail6010]

Just wondering if you like Canada

[@gwynyvyr]

It would be nice to see a Top Tenz of the most (successfully) forged artists.

[@TheSmilingFear]

Hmm bit of a contradiction though, isn't it? If the forgeries were successful, we wouldn't know, so a video couldn't be made about them.

[@madArt1981]

Need or want a handmade repro? I’m your Huckleberry

[@The_Other_Ghost]

is my favorite.

[@meredithv3168]

Video 9. Will update those who don't know in the next one

[@NotHPotter]

If you enjoy CRIME!

[@pmgn8444]

So is this a real Fact Boi video or just a well done fake?

[@williamdrijver4141]

I find these forgers much more interesting than most artists! The art world is full of dirty money and 95% thin air. Rightly so these highly talented "forgers" tried to get their part of the cake.

[@lizdierdorf]

day 18 of suggesting “Das Bauhaus” art school. pretty please!! 🥺🥺

[@DarkGlass824]

Any fans of the film Incognito watching this?

[@second2nonebut1]

Art

[@owenshebbeare2999]

(F)art. A dodgy business for sure.

[@crouchend524]

"cubism and other forms of surrealism"???

[@johnmiller8975]

here is a suggestion for Bio or criminalist Forger of Mormon documents and mad bomber en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Hofmann

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Mormons, the worst of them all, greed and murder, to protect their bogus cult.

[@KekuTheLaughing]

I accidentally forged Hunter Biden's art when I sneezed this morning.