Thoughtful documentaries on the nature of art from its darker side, may it be forged pieces or the money generation that comes from art in general, are available for streaming.
Beltracci (2014) is an unabashed forger that was caught and sentenced to six years in Germany. He made some 45 million Euros on 14 forged pieces. The documentary lightly admonishes Wolfgang, but, in the end, still shines more light on the fiscal machine behind art and the art world more than his restitution of what is emphatically illegal. That being said, I had to question the money behind these actions - if the art world and those few collectors were so incensed, where are the controls to limit such work from eking their way into such precious collections?
In Art and Craft (2015) Mark Landis, a diagnosed schizophrenic, forged pieces for donation. What is obviously different in a Landis forged piece is that they were the product of a child seeking to find approval of long-dead parents and a willing art society ready to take his donations. Landis, like Beltracci, can meticulously forge pieces by digging into the psyche of an artist. I felt that Art found this voice better in Landis than Beltracci. [I am eyeing an original piece by Landis, I just want to find the right photo and type. I'll post it whence complete.]
Lastly, in The Art of the Steal, the documentary posits the great theft of the Barnes Foundation from the intended town of Merion but then, in a series of articulated political moves, brought instead to Philadelphia. It is a horrendous misappropriation of the local government that outright makes motions upon what is clearly private property. Amazing that it hasn't gone to the highest court.
Beltracci (2014) is an unabashed forger that was caught and sentenced to six years in Germany. He made some 45 million Euros on 14 forged pieces. The documentary lightly admonishes Wolfgang, but, in the end, still shines more light on the fiscal machine behind art and the art world more than his restitution of what is emphatically illegal. That being said, I had to question the money behind these actions - if the art world and those few collectors were so incensed, where are the controls to limit such work from eking their way into such precious collections?
In Art and Craft (2015) Mark Landis, a diagnosed schizophrenic, forged pieces for donation. What is obviously different in a Landis forged piece is that they were the product of a child seeking to find approval of long-dead parents and a willing art society ready to take his donations. Landis, like Beltracci, can meticulously forge pieces by digging into the psyche of an artist. I felt that Art found this voice better in Landis than Beltracci. [I am eyeing an original piece by Landis, I just want to find the right photo and type. I'll post it whence complete.]
Lastly, in The Art of the Steal, the documentary posits the great theft of the Barnes Foundation from the intended town of Merion but then, in a series of articulated political moves, brought instead to Philadelphia. It is a horrendous misappropriation of the local government that outright makes motions upon what is clearly private property. Amazing that it hasn't gone to the highest court.
BELTRACCI:
Beltracci on Netflix
MARK LANDIS:
Mark Landis on Prime
http://marklandisoriginal.com/order-a-painting/
THE ART OF THE STEAL:
The Art of the Steal on Amazon Video
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