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JohnMyatt
The TV series saw celebrity portraits painted in the style of a famous artist. These include; Paul O’Grady in Grant Wood’s American Gothic; Frank Skinner in Vincent van Gogh’s Self Portrait 1888; and Myleene Klass in Johannes Vermeer’s Girl With The Pearl Earring. Struggling to bring up two small children on an art teacher’s wage, Myatt’s
“I intend to spend as much time at the exhibition as possible and am looking forward to meeting and listening to the views of the public and other artists that come to see it.” GlynWashington, of Wash- ington Green Fine Art and Castle Galleries, comments: “The life of artist John Myatt is absolutely fascinating, reading very much like the pages of a best-selling novel. “Each of the pieces in this new collection showcase Myatt at his very best, using his trademark trickery of household emulsion mixed with KY jelly to add body and fluidity to his brushstrokes. “The level of superior sophistication seen in all his work is phenomenal and even more captivating, given the deception we now know about. He is one of the most sought after artists in the contemporary world which is why we have also produced a collection of six limited edition pieces to accompany the museum exhibition.” Famed art critic David Lee adds: “Since he came out of prison John has turned his dishonesty to honest profit, producing versions of masterpieces for those who admire but can’t afford the multi- million pound originals. “A fascinating aspect of what John does is the way looking at what he paints is complicated by a personal history one can’t overlook. You aren’t just getting a copy of a masterpiece or an interpretation of a style by a great copier, you’re getting the work of someone whose efforts were at one time actually confused with the real thing. He is asking us to decide for ourselves if the authenticity of what we see is quite as important as we are led to believe it is.” Gallery 'Provenance' the limited edition collection will be available in Castle Galleries throughout the country this autumn. And 'Provenance' the museum exhibition opens on 29 September at the Waterhall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. castlegalleries.com
and New York. Over 120 of which are still in circulation today, as only 80 were ever recovered by police. Both were convicted of fraud and Myatt was sentenced to 12 months in Brixton prison. After serving just six months of this sentence, he was released in June 1999 on good behaviour and had a ready-and-waiting client base, all eager to buy a piece of art from
3 Lilies - Morning Effect (in the style of Claude
Monet, 1906) Atelier canvas edition of 49
Image 28" x 40" Framed £2,500
4 Morning On The Seine, Pale Blue Effect (in the style of Claude Monet) Atelier canvas edition of 49 Image 30" x 31" Framed £2,250
the likeable man behind one of the biggest art frauds of the 20th century. These days Myatt’s legitimate fakes may be signed ‘Monet’ but are clearly marked ‘John Myatt: Genuine Fakes’ on the reverse. Giving people the chance to display their own
career as a ‘genu- ine faker’ started in 1986 when he placed an advert in Private Eye offering genuine ‘19th and 20th
5 The Letter (in
the style of Raoul Dufy) Atelier canvas edition of 49
Image 19" x 24" Framed £1,250
century fakes for £200’. As Myatt puts it, these were not replicas but works that the likes of Monet or Picasso might have painted ‘if they had had time’. Impressed customer, 'Professor John Drewe', a man claiming to be a nuclear physicist, commissioned Myatt to produce a number of paintings, which he later had valued at Christie’s in London for over £25,000. This, admits Myatt, ‘was the moment the legitimate business stopped and the crime began’ as the pair went into business together passing off 200 more fakes over seven years, which were later sold through leading auction houses in London
6 The Lover's Dream (in the style of Marc Chagall) Atelier canvas edition of 49
Image 19" x 14" Framed £995
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2 YellowOdalisque (in the style of Henri Matisse) Atelier canvas edition of 49
1 The Astronomer's Love Song (in the style of Joan Miro, 1941) Atelier canvas edition of 49
Monet-style print gives me such delight, says Myatt: “Even those that are lucky enough to own a £2million original typically often can’t display it on their walls, for insurance reasons. It seems such a shame to have something so beautiful hidden away in the bank.” Myatt’s genuine fakes also make up the exciting collection that will be available to view at the Waterhall from Saturday 29th September, priced from £7,500 to £50,000. Commenting on the upcoming ‘Provenance’ exhibi- tion, Myatt said: “This is the first
Image 30" x 24" Framed £1,950
Image 36" x 27" Framed £2,250
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time my own original work will be shown alongside the ‘genuine fakes’ which are usually associ- ated with my name. “The entire collection has been put together over a long period of time, building on the exciting turn of events and experiences my life has taken me on including the time I spent in prison. The
originals that will be on view have all come out of my own private collection. They have been on the walls at my home, but now for the first-time I am giving other members of the public the chance to see them. “The exhibition at the Waterhall gallery is the biggest exhibition of my work to date, but what makes
it even more humbling for me is that this museum is in my own backyard. Born in Stoke on Trent and bred in the Midlands, I used to visit the museum every week when I lived in Lichfield, to simply look at the gallery. It is an honour after all these years to go back and instead see my own artwork on view.
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FINE ART COLLECTOR AUTUMN 2012
AUTUMN 2012 FINE ART COLLECTOR
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