Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery. But when it comes to fine art, it’s a bit more complicated. For centuries, budding painters have honed their technique and honored their teachers by copying their masters’ works. The best copy cats, Rubens and Rembrandt among them, soon became artists in their own right. But those who failed could still earn a tidy living turning out the replicas, brushstroke for brushstroke. Not much has changed.
Today, there’s a booming business in commissioned fakes. Let the billionaires spend millions on the genuine article, a newly minted “Renoir” only sets you back by a couple of thousand. But when reproductions are passed off as real, the police take note. Fakers, forgers and felons.
Guests:
John Myatt, founder, Genuine Fakes, Ltd.
Alan Chong, Norma Jean Calderwood Curator of the Collection at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Frederick Ilchman, Assistant Curator, Art of Europe, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston