When it first surfaced in 2005, it was hailed as
'the most important Galileo find in more than a century'. Then, in June 2012,
news broke on the Ex Libris mailing list that the unique 'proof copy' of Galileo's
Sidereus Nuncius containing his original drawings of the Moon was in fact
a highly sophisticated forgery. The full story is still unclear, but the finger of suspicion points at
Marino Massimo de Caro, who in his brief reign as director of the
Girolamini Library in Naples removed
thousands of rare books in what has been described as a
'premeditated, organised and brutal' sacking of the library. Meanwhile, experts are still marvelling at the quality of the forgery:
"We’ve seen missing pages replaced in facsimile, but no one dreamed that an entire book could be forged, something that is now more easily possible because of modern technology."
posted by verstegan
on Apr 4, 2013 -
12 comments
Oscar Dominguez is probably best known for the
Electro Sexual Sewing Machine.
He was a
surrealist (Fr) and a
forger (pdf).
When a fight broke out between Oscar Dominguez and Esteban Frances, it was Victor Brauner who stepped in to separate them, Dominguez accidentally struck him in the face with a bottle.
The injury cost Brauner his left eye, an event that Brauner had forseen.
Dominguez updated the technique known as
Decalmania.
His last lover was the heiress
Marie-Laure de Noailles and during this time he replaced some of her Picasso´s with forgeries painted by himself, selling the originals.
He is also suspected of forging Klee, Ledger and Laurens.
He slit his wrists one New years Eve and Janet Flanner
churlishly conjectured that he “lay down on the floor, being a dirty, untidy man…and bled all over everything”.
posted by adamvasco
on Nov 27, 2012 -
7 comments
Rock band Def Leppard has decided upon a unique solution to the problem of making their music available for electronic distribution despite conflicts with Universal Music Group:
Re-record their entire back catalog as accurately as possible. They're calling the songs 'forgeries.'
posted by LastOfHisKind
on Jul 5, 2012 -
150 comments
Sponge-Fraud!: 'Artist
Todd White seemingly had it all. With a multi-million-dollar art brand, collectors and clients ranging from Sylvester Stallone to
Coca-Cola, and a burgeoning reputation in art-mad Britain, his days as lead character designer of SpongeBob SquarePants were but a distant memory. But, as David Kushner reports, when his confidante and gallerist Peggy Howell reported a burglary of his paintings at the hand of ninjas, things took a turn for the even stranger.'
[more inside]
posted by the man of twists and turns
on Jun 26, 2012 -
23 comments
Confessions of a Genius Art Forger — In one of Germany's greatest art scandals, former hippie and talented artist Wolfgang Beltracchi forged dozens of paintings over a period of 35 years, earning millions and fooling top collectors and museums. In a SPIEGEL interview, he reveals how he did it and why he eventually got caught.
Photo Gallery. Background...
[more inside]
posted by netbros
on May 26, 2012 -
20 comments
F for Fake (French: Vérités et mensonges) is the last major film completed by Orson Welles, who directed, co-wrote, and starred in the film. Initially released in 1974, it focuses on Elmyr de Hory's recounting of his career as a professional art forger; de Hory's story serves as the backdrop for a fast-paced, meandering investigation of the natures of authorship and authenticity, as well as the basis of the value of art. Loosely a documentary, the film operates in several different genres and has been described as a kind of film essay. [more inside]
posted by KokuRyu
on Sep 5, 2010 -
26 comments
There are
Real Fake Buildings,
Real Fake Watches,
real fake books, and of course, "
The Internet's LARGEST Selection of Real Fake Rocks!"
But for truly high-end fakes -- the "realest" of the fakes -- there's the
Museum of Fakes in
Southern Italy, or even better, the
Museum of Art Fakes in Vienna, which includes etchings from "last living master forger from Germany."
"The Museum of Art Fakes, almost directly opposite the Hundertwasserhaus, is unique in Europe. It is filled with paintings from not only world famous forgers (such as van Meegeren, Tom Keating, David Stein, Konrad Kujau, Edgar Mrugalla, Lothar Malskat), but also so-called ‘identical-forgeries’ of Schiele, Klimt, Monet, Raffael and many more."
posted by not_the_water
on Jun 4, 2010 -
19 comments
I both loved and resented that wealth of warmth which Elisabeth brought to me in those unexpected hours of the night. I was usually in the midst of a sound sleep when she got into my bed, and thrilling as I found the ministrations of her fat little fingers, it also meant my being kept awake for hours and hours. Besides, though in my conscious nature I knew nothing about what was going on, I must have had a feeling that my sister was bringing to my life as accomplished facts sensations whose real value to a boy was in their being discovered as part of the experience of growing up. She was presenting me with triumphs I should by right attain only by my own efforts in a much more restricted world… [more inside]
posted by Joe Beese
on Mar 20, 2009 -
11 comments
For years, art critics were stumped by the inconsistencies in one of Norman Rockwell's most famous paintings for the Saturday Evening Post,
Breaking Home Ties. The colors weren't as vibrant as his usual work, nor did the clothes hang correctly. Perhaps most telling, the expression of wistful longing on the face of the protagonist didn't feel right.
Two weeks ago, the reasons why became clear. (more inside)
posted by jonson
on Apr 8, 2006 -
35 comments
The Axis of Evil has some competition — in Ohio. The Bush Administration continues to apply pressure to North Korea about its alleged counterfeiting of $100 notes: This
Korean story quotes Amb. Alexander Vershbow demanding physical proof that Pyongyang has destroyed its forging equipment. On the other hand, according to the BBC, South Korea's intelligence service
doubts the North is counterfeiting, although it may have done so in the past. Meanwhile, on the homefront, a 16-year-old has been fingered as the mastermind of a bogus bill ring operating out of the boy's home in North College Hill, OH. Oddly, the
Cincinnati Enquirer article announcing the bust is chock-full of juicy tips for would-be home engravers: rip off old bills rather than new, don't overlook those colored fibers, and set the wash cycle for delicates. Oh, and don't even think about using scissors: it's a sure giveaway!
posted by rob511
on Feb 19, 2006 -
17 comments
55,000 angry emails, all because someone decided to forge an email from "pro-palestinian agitator" Francis Boyle. The best part?
"the FBI didn't find anything illegal". The guy
"spent nearly four days sifting through the messages, writing personal apologies to the offended".
It really is too easy...
posted by mrgavins
on Aug 27, 2002 -
8 comments
