I have been reading the discussion surrounding the recent revelations about forgeries have been discussed and there is one point I would like to make before this topic is sidelined as old news. The over-restoration of movie posters has contributed greatly to forgers' ability to fake old paper. Too much paint makes it difficult to determine not only how much (if any) original paper actually exists but it also plays into the hands of those with nefarious plans. As I understand it, the forgers not only distressed the paper that they used but they also applied over-painting because this is a common practice within the field of collectible movie paper. I would advocate for movie paper collectibles to instead be evaluated based on their original condition not some ideal that can be created via the application of over-painting.
If anything good comes out of this, it would be (in my opinion) that collectors would look at posters with fold creases and paper losses and learn to love them just the way they are without paint to brighten the colors and obscure the signs of use. If the practice of over-painting could magically disappear, it would be much easier to determine what is and is not real. Visible fold creases should be viewed as a clue that the paper is truly what it claims to be while a lack of fold creases should be a cause of concern for collectors. If the fold creases, background and borders have been over-painted, how can you be certain that what you are buying is more paper than paint? And I haven't even touched on the problems of what happens to paint and paper when they age. It's not pretty, especially if the piece was exhibited under less than ideal light conditions in a frame on a wall in your house for a long period of time. That said I completely understand that paper losses particularly in the image area can detract greatly from the enjoyment of a poster. In these cases, those in the field of paper conservation would tell you that whatever you do should be completely reversible serving only to trick the eye at a distance but completely revealing itself upon close inspection. Whether you collect for personal enjoyment, as an investment or as part of a larger institutional mandate, the posters we all hold are part of our larger cultural heritage as well as assets to be protected. Please take my comments as an attempt to ask the field to re-evaluate current practices and think about the long-term implications of over-restoration. The benefit will be increased transparency which will make it more difficult for forgers to ply their trade and collections that will continue to awe for generations to come. Anne Coco Graphic Arts Librarian Search our catalog! http://catalog.oscars.org Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [email protected] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
