Abacus
Antique Dealers: The Real McCoy?
Controversy
over forged or fraudulent work is not new in the art
and antique market. But technological advancements
have resulted in a new reality for collectors: buyer
be more than wary - because just about everything
is suspect.
Private
sales of artwork and antiques are on the rise and
unseasoned collectors buying with abandon are fueling
the market for forged artwork. The demand for scarce
works coupled with the higher prices pieces are getting
at auction, has created a forger’s paradise.
Any
art object - painting, sculpture, ceramic or fine
furnishing - can be forged. But some objects are harder
to forge and sell than others. Fewer than one per
cent of all stone sculptures are forged while about
10 per cent of all paintings are believed to be frauds.
Some experts believe that as many as 40 per cent of
all art and antique pieces on the market may not be
what they appear to be.
Because
the motivation for forgery is money, it occurs most
often when the artist is well known and prices for
their work are high enough to make copies profitable.
The
range of forgeries extends from misrepresentations
of a genuine work of art to the outright counterfeiting
of a piece or style. The fundamental consideration
in determining forgery is an “intent to deceive.”
For example, the act of copying a painting may not
be a forgery, but signing that copy with the name
of the original artist is.
There
are three basic types of forgeries: exact copies,
new works that incorporate parts of original works
and works in the style of an artist or period that
are deliberately sold as such.
Exact
copies are the easiest forgeries to produce and are
the most common. The works of Salvador Dali and Marc
Chagall have been copied for decades and sold as original
prints, but there is also a burgeoning market in copied
watercolours, etchings and drawings. Technological
advances have made it easier for large numbers of
high quality reproductions to be produced at low cost.
With
Salvador Dali’s work, original prints that were
authorized and signed by Dali were copied using a
high quality copier. Only the quality of the signature
and the type of paper identified the copies and few
buyers could tell the difference. However, the scandal
surrounding Dali’s work has become more serious
with the arrest of his former partner over the creation
of new original prints of produced from forged printing
plates.
Composite
fraud is more difficult to produce and harder to detect
because it combines elements of an original work within
the forgery. Hans Van Meegeren created numerous ‘Vermeer’
masterpieces by cutting heads, hands and other items
from early Vermeer paintings and incorporating them
into his own works. These composites were so convincing
that some experts declared them to be authentic.
The
most time consuming of all forgeries to produce and
the most difficult to detect is one done in the style
of a particular artist or period. In this case, the
artwork or antique is created and sold as an original.
Elmyr de Hory is renowned for his Picasso forgeries;
after years of selling his own sketches and paintings
as those of master painters, de Hory was arrested
for forging work by Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani.
The
history of forgery is long and as decades pass, those
proficient in the crime get better and better. Technology
allows them to create better copies in less time for
less money, and current growth in the art and antique
market is spurring them on.
But
all is not lost. Forgers rarely have the scholarly
background or the time and patience required to the
combine the elements of a master work correctly, and
it is their errors that eventually become their downfall.
Art
forgery is a very real problem, but there are some
ways buyers can protect themselves. Art and antique
appraiser, Andrew Gibbs of Gibbs Appraisals, indicates
that there are ways to limit the risk of ending up
with forgeries.
“Most
of all, don’t buy anything without doing some
research,” cautions Gibbs. “Recognizing
common subject matter, signature placement, mediums
and materials used, and size an artist usually works
in will help buyers separate work that looks right
from work that does not.”
Documentation,
or provenance, is one of the more useful ways to determine
whether there is reason to be suspicious about a work.
If the documents that attest to the history of the
work are unavailable or suspect, then the piece may
well be forged.
But
Gibbs warns that provenance on a particular piece
is not the final word on its authenticity. In some
cases the original buyer has passed on an unknown
forgery whose provenance seems more authentic as it
gets handed down through generation.
For
higher priced purchases, buyers may be better served
by leaving the examination of a piece to an expert
or appraiser. They are better equipped to perform
physical testing and technical analysis using ultraviolet
light, infrared rays and a variety of chemical tests.
But despite the studies and technical tests available,
forgeries will still be made. The demand for rare
works of art has increased and although the element
of risk can be minimized, it cannot be eliminated.
There
are general tip-offs that enable even amateurs to
pick the authentic from the awful among the most commonly
forged items.
In
original paintings, etchings and drawings, artists
tend to stick to a common theme and structure in their
work. Pieces that differ from the norm in style, subject
and size should be examined more closely. Likewise,
a work in watercolour from an artist that generally
works in oil would warrant a second look. Technical
differences such as the quality of a signature, its
location in the work and the size and direction of
brushstrokes can give away a forgery.
Because
print artwork bears the exact same image as the original,
the paper type, signature quality and image quality
are the best tip-offs.
Forged
antique furniture can be difficult to identify. Many
pieces are reproductions that may be manufactured
using different woods, alternate construction methods
and a lack of decorative elements like carving. In
other pieces extra holes, upgraded hardware or changes
in stains indicate alterations.
Silverware
and ceramics are most often created in the style of
another more popular maker, but original pieces can
also be altered by adding or removing markings. With
reproductions a departure from a characteristic style,
colour palette or glaze and a lack of detail in decorative
patterns are causes for suspicion. If the colour in
a piece of silverware or on the body of a pot is not
uniform is may have been altered in some way. Lastly,
an item meant for domestic use will show wear and
therefore silverware or dishware that looks brand
new, may be.
The
best advice of all, however, may be to buy from a
reputable dealer or consult a credible appraiser.
“The
higher a buyer goes up the rung of respectability,
the better protected they will be from forged art
pieces,” says Gibbs. “A reputable dealer
should offer to return the purchase price if the item
turns out to be fake, but consulting an appraiser
before making the purchase may help buyers avoid the
item in the first place.”
The
market for art and antiques continues to show little
sign of caution, despite the publicity surrounding
scams and scandals. Collectors seem to be willing
to take risks in order to acquire great pieces from
well-known artists, but ‘buyer beware’ remains
a reality. Sometimes it’s necessary to take a
small step back in order to get a better look when
it comes to fine art and priceless antiques.
By
Pamela Saunders
