Making Honest Money on Fakes

A painter in England is making a living as a “genuine fake artist.” He copies famous paintings with or without including some modern reference. One of his “Victorian” paintings includes a woman on the street talking on her cell phone. The painter, John Myatt, was a forger who served time for producing fakes that were so good they were auctioned as authentic works of art by some major auction houses. He says there is a city in China where painting fakes is an industry, but so far none are good enough to fool an expert. (Financial Times, April 13, 2012)