couldn't do feet

[bernard w]

There's an extract from the Book "The Conman" in today's Mail. It is about the conman John Drewe who pursuaded artist Jonathan Myatt to paint forgeries. Myatt apparently already sold paintings legitimately as "forgeries" (or copies) but then Drewe "used" Myatt and started passing his paintings as genuine and conned the big galleries. Myatt got sucked in. His downfall came (it says) when asked to paint a "nude female standing" in the style of Giacometti. To avoid being discovered as a forger, Myatt painted from memory rather than get a life model. But he struggled to do the feet so painted a table in front of the nude to hide the feet. Experts doubted that the genuine artist would use such a compositional trick. But galleries couldn't accpet it might be a forgery so it was a while before the con was finally exposed.
It is believed that some of the forgeries are still in big galleries. Myatt now paints portraits and lectures on the business of art fraud having served his time inside.

[francis]

Don't know where the mistakes have come from but the conman was John Drewe, the artist was John Myatt and Jonathan Searle was the Detective Sergeant who arrested him (who happened to be trained as an artist before he joined the police). Perhaps a quick edit of the post would be in order!

Francis

[Malcolm@Westby]

That's right. The artist, John Myatt lived quite close to where we used to be in Stafford. He's now painting again and his prices are quite high! There was a lot of stuff in all the local papers when he was released and had his first exhibition. There may also be a book about the story.

[bernard w]

Names corrected.

[CliffordAlls]

I know a great deal about this case as I handled the prosecution in another incarnation! John Myatt now paints pastiches for a living under the name "Genuine Fakes" - all above board and good luck to him.

The best account of the case is probably at http://www.museum-security.org/myatt-drewe.htm for those interested.

I have no doubt that there are Drewe/Myatt fakes still in circulation as genuine. The artwork was not always of the best (even masters have off days). What 'sold' the pictures was much more the brilliant provenances that were created for them.

Modern art dealers do not like discussing this case because one of its effects was to undemine prime records used to verify provenances to an unknown extent. That was the real seriousness in the case.

The Mail often harks back to this case but I did not know of the latest. There is also a new book about the case called 'Provenance' by a lady called Laney Salisbury. It is rumoured that George Clooney wants to commit it to film!

It was a hell of a case and 'sexy' in terms of what passes for fraud.

[DennisS_000]

I see he is now back in the media spotlight as he now has a show where he instructs "celebrities" how to paint in the style of a famous artist. Celebs cooking,celebs watching wildlife, now celebs painting like real artists!