Bob and All,
This is drifting somewhat OFF TOPIC, but:
Come now. I remember this book from when it came out, and I really
wouldn't characterize Eric Hebborn
as an "honest art forger." There isn't much about him that I would
take as "honest."
I have no doubt that some people may have tried to cover their
mistakes and
protect their reputations perhaps by being complicit in Mr. Hebborn's
shenanigans. But the
guy was hardly Robin Hood. In fact, he was an out and out fraud,
with a dash of megalomania thrown
in for good measure. Holland Cotter reviewed Hebborn's book for the
Times. That review follows if anyone
is interested. K.
A Fake's Progress
By HOLLAND COTTER;
Published: July 25, 1993
DRAWN TO TROUBLE Confessions of a Master Forger: A Memoir. By Eric
Hebborn. Illustrated. 380 pp. New York: Random House. $25.
IN his account of his career as a forger of Old Master drawings, Eric
Hebborn is most engaging when he's talking shop, telling you how a
little scrub in the tub with detergent can leave a new drawing nicely
aged, or how authentic ink for a fresh Poussin can be cooked up with
ingredients from your own backyard. He's most intriguing, though, in
an appalling sort of way, when he's trying to justify and even extol
such exquisitely calculated exercises in deceit. In fact, there are
so many lofty ethical pronouncements floating among so many examples
of skulduggery in "Drawn to Trouble" that the book quickly assumes a
surrealist flavor. The truth is probably in there somewhere, but it
seems to slip farther from view with every paragraph.
The sense of interpretive truth is most pronounced in the opening
chapter, which is, plainly put, awful. It describes the 59-year-old
author's working-class English childhood in the mock-ingenuous style
of a picaresque novel, with results so arch and unfunny as to make
one dread the 300-odd pages ahead. The tone starts to calm down a
little once Mr. Hebborn enters art school, where his gifts as a
draftsman and copyist are early acknowledged and his career as a
forger in effect begins. Even at the outset, the motives that appear
to guide his future are clear: ambition for a better life, a morally
opaque approach to achieving it, a love of art and an abiding
resentment toward certain figures in authority.
Once embarked on, his path is direct. He wins prizes at the Royal
Academy in London and moonlights as an "art restorer," acquiring a
set of useful skills that school didn't teach. With time, drawings
"by" Pontormo, Corot, Gainsborough and Piranesi flow from his studios
in London or Italy, where he eventually settles, into the hands of
important dealers and auction houses (Sotheby's and Christie's as
well as London's Colnaghi gallery were among his faithful customers),
and through them into major museums. Hebborns bearing other names,
like Bruegel and Van Dyck, find homes, we are told, in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum and the Pierpont
Morgan Library, and remain to this day undetected in many
international collections.
What seems to engross Mr. Hebborn even more than picture making,
though, is duping art experts. While he claims to have bested some of
the best, he is at pains to convey what a sorry lot he thinks they
are. They include several English scholars, notably Anthony Blunt,
once surveyor of the Queen's pictures, director of the Courtauld
Institute and a Soviet spy, with whom Mr. Hebborn strikes up a
friendship and from whom he learns much both in matters of
connoisseurship and art world politics.
Mr. Hebborn's portrait of Blunt is demeaning without being exactly
damning. Which is more than can be said for his take on the art
dealers he encounters. The objects of his bitterest contempt, they
are portrayed as either incompetent or unprincipled or both. It was
dealers who finally blew the whistle on Mr. Hebborn in 1978 (drawings
he had made "by" different artists were found to look amazingly
alike). Yet in one of the several curious twists of logic that mark
this book, Mr. Hebborn holds the dealers themselves responsible for
his misdeeds, since one of his reasons for faking art all these years
was to show them up for the price-gouging swindlers he believes them
to be.
Actually, that argument represents the merest tip of the ethical
iceberg. The fact is, he insists, there are no fake pictures, just
inaccurate museum labels. So-called copies are in reality original
pictures, just done in a borrowed style and sometimes using existing
images, and should be acknowledged as such. But then again, he
suggests elsewhere, the very notion of originality is an illusion, so
what's all the fuss about? When at last he asserts that his
production of new work by Old Masters can advance art history by
"discovering" long-sought missing links of influence and style, the
reader may suspect that the real missing link here is the one to
reality.
The book isn't a "confession," as its subtitle promises, but a self-
vindication, and the fact that Mr. Hebborn presents his case in the
spirit of honor offended makes the whole matter especially bizarre.
Under the circumstances, the author's straightforward, hands-on
accounts of his craft come as a relief. When discussing the technical
minutiae of creating copies he suddenly reads like a no-nonsense
instructor, glad to convey what he's learned. And when he talks
lovingly about art itself -- particularly about the kind of
psychological transference across centuries that working-in-the-style-
of requires -- we sense what Mr. Hebborn's career might have been (he
has shown his own painting and sculpture in galleries from time to
time) had it taken a different turn back at Chelmsford Art School in
1949.
These passages are the best, possibly the only good reasons for
reading this willful, unpleasant book -- unless, that is, one finds
Mr. Hebborn's compulsion to prick the pretensions of the commercial
art world entertaining. His purpose in this is understandable enough.
But by submerging it in his own reverse-elitist pretensions about his
role as moral crusader (all the while assuring us that his career as
a forger flourishes still, though at levels more discreet and less
glamorous than of yore), he forfeits our sympathy and leaves us to
wonder about the authenticity of what we're reading as well.
Holland Cotter contributes art criticism to The New York Times.
Kirby McDaniel
www.movieart.net
On Feb 7, 2008, at 7:25 PM, Robert D. Brooks wrote:
Hey All,
NONE of the major auction houses should be trusted. If you ever
get a chance, read the book Drawn To Trouble. It's about one of
the best art forgers of all time. He made pen and ink drawings in
the styles of old masters, and sold them through all the big
auction houses. The thing is, he was an honest art forger. He
never made any claims about his pieces' authenticity, and he never
forged a signature (he left all his fakes unsigned). He'd just
take them to the auction house and wait for the cheques.
Almost without exception, when his pieces finally hit the auction
block, fake signature had magically appeared on them...
Cheers,
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: Patrick Michael Tupy
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 5:05 PM
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Heritage Auction's Prop Bust
This is a tragedy for those who honestly covet and choose to
collect props, etc. But it is a cautionary tale and is also why I
don't collect autographs, etc. after buying some that turned out to
be forged. If you need any basis to question art 'experts' one
need look no further than Orson Welles' great and honest film on
forgery, F FOR FAKE.
If I hear the call to collect anything but it's a judgement call on
authenticity, I don't accept it.
Patrick
On Feb 7, 2008, at 2:11 PM, Richard Halegua Comic Art wrote:
Of course I echo Sue's feelings
As far as Grey Smith, John Petty and the rest of the movie poster
& comic book/art divisions I have nothing but respect for them.
They do such a great job & by proxy, such a great service for the
hobby, that you have to feel sorry that at least on some small
level, it reflects on these folks. The guy at Heritage whose job
it is to vet these items has clearly done a poor job,
especially in light of the fact that I know this story was also
reported last summer
In so far as LA Props.. Clearly their intention was to defraud & I
suspect they will be filing a bankruptcy sometime soon because
their company will in all likelihood be charged criminally by
Texas and probably Mississippi authorities for auction fraud,
misrepresentation etc. as well as being the likely target of a
civil suit by Heritage. Buyers cannot sue LA Props because they
have no contract with LA Props and so bidders can only sue
Heritage - if it were to get that far. It is clearly in the
interests of Heritage to clear this issue out by giving refunds to
all who ask - even if their purchases are not suspect and did not
source from LA Props. Heritage in turn would sue LA Props, or
submit losses to their insurance company.
But you have to ask.. how many other people did LA Props sell to
over what period of time?
Also, if LA Props has a store of truly real Hollywood props, they
have devalued these items by connection to themselves
By the way, I have also heard that Profiles in History has also
been accused of similar issues in their auctions
it's a real sh*tstorm
Rich===============
At 01:56 PM 2/7/2008, Susan Heim wrote:
Very good post Freeman. It is a shame that the shadow is now
cast on Heritage with all the hard work and honest effort in most
of their divisions and, unfortunately, you will have people that
hear this story and it will affect their decision to consign
anything to Heritage. As this story unravels, I'm sure even more
will come to light. My question is the legal ramifications to
this company LA Props. Obviously there was an intention to
defraud. The owners or perpetrators are guilty of criminal
activity. There has to be something more that can be done to them
other than just suing them. I'm wondering how they thought they
could get away with it. Perhaps greed was just too much and they
couldn't stop continuing to pass off these items to an obviously
willing auctioneer.
I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with Heritage
and Grey is one of the most upstanding people I have ever known.
I'm sure this incident will make all at Heritage "over alert" at
this point and I, personally, would not hesitate to consign
something to them.
Sue Heim
www.hollywoodposterframes.com
----- Original Message -----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2008 11:33 AM
Subject: [MOPO] Heritage Auction's Prop Bust
You know, I hate to see Heritage get caught in any scandal what
with the hard work of our buddy Grey dedicating immense effort
to get his poster auctions to the caliber they presently enjoy as
well as many of the other divisions that have worked hard to
plant their tent pole auctions including coins, comics,
Americana, jewels, minerals, antiques etc. But the guy
running props was warned time and again on his listings by people
I know personally, as well as a website for props that undertook
astonishing documentation that called into question a shocking
number of their so called certified items.
On this one website, one intrepid member knew the user ID LA
Props would use to purchase items on Ebay. He could actually
trace items purchased on Ebay (this is a non-specific example)
but say a simple cowboy hat would be purchased, exact item would
later be "authenticated" as John Wayne's. I know that sounds
incredible but this individual sited numerous situations exactly
like this. These findings and calls into question would be
arrogantly ignored by the director at Heritage props much to the
frustration of dealers who specialize in such items knowing such
a scandal could hurt the hobby as a whole. How many even know
LA Prop is not even in California?
The guy at Heritage should be terminated, he was warned and
challenged time and again and now his declarations of protest in
the press are a joke. He knew, he knew the entire time. The
implications hopefully will nipped in the bud unique to this
individual and LA Props. But Heritage will have their work cut
out for them on future endeavors. What's the saying, "lay with
dogs you get fleas, or in this case, ticks." It's fraud on
the grandest scale and a shame for an organization that has
worked so hard to be one of the best.
freeman fisher
8601 west knoll dr. #7
west hollywood, ca
90069
310-6579426
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