Dozens of museums in the United States swept around the finger dexterous forger. For nearly 20 years, he presents different names, presents a gift to a solid art museums fake paintings

Dozens of museums in the United States swept around the fingers nimble forger. For nearly twenty years, someone posing as different names, presents a gift to a solid art museums fake pictures. Identify the scope of its activities was only recently, thanks to the vigilance director Hilliard Art Museum at the University of Louisiana (Lafayette) Tullosa Mark (Mark Tullos).

• Left: The mysterious donor
  Right: A copy of the painting by Charles Courtney Karan offered Hilliard Art Museum
  Source: theartnewspaper.com

First Tullosu received a letter on the letterhead with details of some of the religious organization of the "father of Arthur Scott," in which he requested an audience. Soon a red Cadillac and granted himself the "father of Scott," supposedly a Jesuit priest. "priest" has offered the museum a gift of American impressionist canvas Charles Courtney Karan (Charles Courtney Curran), explaining his action that his deceased parents in Philadelphia at the time, too patronizing museums. The director took the picture and gave the "father" a receipt, in the end of the visit giver and blessed all those present in the parking lot.

As director Tullos, at first glance looked very convincing fake and he did not suspect anything, doubts have arisen in the museum registrar Peng Joyce (Joyce Penn). After seeing the painting under black light lamp, she found that she suspiciously shiny. And under the microscope Joyce discerned printing halftone dots, over which was applied paint and a signature Karan.

• Item fake pictures of the Qur'an. Under the paint clearly visible halftone dots prints
  Source: theartnewspaper.com

Exposing fraudulent Karan recalled Joyce Peng about the case in the Museum of Art, State University Louisiana in 2009. Then a Mark Landis (Mark Landis) has also tried to donate to the museum a fake picture. rummaged in the documents, Joyce found a photograph of Mr. Landis - Director Tullos and recognized him as "father of Scott».

After Mark Tullos sent through the mail server of the American Association of Museums warning letters about the rogue, there are new reports of" philanthropist. "In particular, his experiences with Landis in 2007, said Matt Leininger (Matthew Leininger).

At that time, Leininger served by the registrar at the Art Museum of Oklahoma. At first, Mark Landis gave the museum watercolor Jacks Louis (Louis Valtat), which is included in the collection. Later conman wanted to donate a further five paintings, among which were watercolor Paul Signac (Paul Signac), oil painting Liepina Stanislaw (Stanislas Lepine), a self-portrait Marie Laurencin (Marie Laurencin), a naked figure of the French Academy, and a sketch of Honoré Daumier (Honore Daumier). However, to enjoy the generous gift was not long: soon a group of Leininger has found that roughly the same period the College of Art and Design Savannah received the same Signac, Marie Laurencin, and nude figure, made of red crayons, from the same Mark Landis. After a while, and found an original watercolor by Signac - a collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

• Figure nude" from the French Academy, donated by Mark Landis of Oklahoma Art Museum (above) and the College of Art and Design Savannah ( below)
  Source: theartnewspaper.com

• Above:" Signac watercolor, donated by Landis Art Museum Oklahoma
  Below: The original watercolors from the collection of State Hermitage Museum (St. Petersburg)
  Source: theartnewspaper.com

picture Liepina Matthew Leininger examined under black light bulb: wherever paint is lying loose, stood out white spots. On the original canvas under the paint can not do anything "become white." suspicious experts to show and the fresh smell of paint and managed under a microscope to see all of the same halftone dots prints. As a result, Oklahoma Museum has refused to take all the donated paintings, including the first Jacks.

According to Leininger, all the work could have been written by one man, despite some differences in technique. Paints used in watercolors, too, seems to be the same.

Total found more than 30 American museums to get a picture of a man , is a "Mark Landis", "Stephen Gardiner" or "father of Scott (all names are considered false). Among the defrauded institutions such as the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, the University Art Museum St. Louis Museum Michael Carlos in Atlanta, Art Institute of San Francisco Museum of American Folk Art in New York, Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis. The first of the famous gift in 1987 was Art Museum in New Orleans. Fake a watercolor portrait of a girl "Marie Laurencin hand" in 1935 recognized the already after a mysterious donor had disappeared.

Many museums began to suspect that a donation of paintings there is something wrong, because they were not interested in tax services, however, sometimes Landis - Gardiner explained this lack of time due to health problems.

But even now, when the scale of the "tricks" "Landis became known American Association of Museums, the police and the FBI, he can not condemn for any article, as in his writings, he never earned a dime. But got something else - fame, which is quite possible, and wanted. Mark Tullos intends to include a "penalty" in an exhibition dedicated to counterfeiting, and Matthew Leininger wants to go further and order: to collect all of Landis' work in one exhibition and invite her to the author as an honored guest.

material was prepared by Maria Onuchina, AI

Source: theartnewspaper.com , artinvestment.ru