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The Provenance Trap: How Forgers Fool the Art World

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The Provenance Trap: How Forgers Fool the Art World

Evening Lecture/Seminar

Tuesday, August 6, 2024 - 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. ET
Code: 1H0826
Location:
This online program is presented on Zoom.
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$20
Member
$25
Non-Member
Materials for this program

Art forger Han van Meegeren at work on a fake Vermeer, 1945 (Nationaal Archief / CC by 4.0 International)

"The world wishes to be deceived, so let it be deceived." This motto attributed to the Roman satirist Petronius is as true now as it was in the 1st century. While today fake news steals the headlines, the history of art forgery is packed with stories of tricksters who, while more pranksters than gangsters, succeeded in fooling the art world and profiting while doing so.

Art historian Noah Charney uncovers the "provenance trap," a methodology in five variables that have most often and most successfully led to forgers fooling experts. Charney dives into a series of intriguing, quirky, and enlightening case studies involving famous forgers Han van Meegeren, John Myatt, Eric Hebborn, Ely Sakhai, and Shaun Greenhalgh.

World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit*

General Information

*Enrolled participants in the World Art History Certificate Program receive 1/2 elective credit. Not yet enrolled? Learn about the program, its benefits, and how to register here.