His "crime" just showed the world that the art world doesn't care about the painting itself anymore but more about what name is attached to it. It showed that the true price of a painting in auctions is not depending on the painting itself and how good it looks but about what artist / brand is attached to it.
What I find heart breaking(because I am an artist), is I'm pretty sure that artists werent paid for the paintings they did, as much as those same paintings sell for now days( I could be wrong have no idea really).
Obviously, as Picasso once said, "i don't care how beautiful the apples on a canvas by Cezanne may look, I care about who the man was, the anguish of his soul, the torture of a Van Gogh" Obviously that one may be deceived and therefor had given more value to a work because of that, but deception defeats the purpose because not only the auctions judge in that sense but we do as well and for emotional reasons beyond our justice. Reasoning in such way about the true value of things is already defeating the art work before is created
Yea no, artist's styles don't fall out of the air. If you cover a song you aren't a songwriter either. Doing your own thing is exactly what makes a good artist
I believe in one episode of his series "Wolfgang Beltracci - Der Meisterfälscher" in which he portrayed Christoph Waltz in the style of Max Beckmann, he told Waltz that he felt a little bit guilty - but only for forging the artist's signatures.
Selling his brilliant art fakes to multimillionares who made their fortune by inflated pricing, monopolizing industries, paying off lawmakers, violating EPA via legal loopholes, etc... The wrong guy went to jail!
this guy is just brilliant....Bob Simon. quote...aired...Feb 21, 2014 - ...this was a year before Bob's Date of death: February 11, 2015 RIP BOB SIMON.... THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING .. Convicted art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi is amazing..i learn a lot.. i am an artist..
He certainly did a good job on his work, in the 1970's I did a few forgeries just to see if I could do them, I Didn't Do It for the money I did it for another reason, and it's very very time-consuming and research , you just don't go bang make a painting, you can't make a mistake, I did it by studying the drawings show the artist I wanted to forge, they were post impressionism,. Style because the items I need to were all available but I proved my point and I didn't do any more and no I never used titanian like where it wasn't supposed to be used, I often wonder where those paintings went to
I adore what him and his wife did to the art world :) the guy is just brilliant! the devotion, the talent, skills, but also so much fun and hedonism in Beltracchi's work and his life! And also love they share to each other is something special! :)
Mathilde- u r right. Great artists are seldom recognised in their own lifetime. A few of my own forgeries are in general circulation I am proud to say. My advice to any young aspiring artist - carry on faking: it is more profitable!
Steve Davies that’s actually not true. Most famous artists have already been famous during their lifetime. That myth of the unrecognized genius is pretty much based on Van Gogh alone. You might find a couple more, but not nearly as many as „famous during lifetime“
If the action houses didn't care about the provenance of these pictures they obviously didn't care if they were forgeries. All they were interested in was their fat commissions.
My uncle is Paul Fournier of Toronto, best to search Paul Fournier Canadian Artist. Their health is failing, his work is in demand, but he just had to give up the studio, medical bills are piling up, but it will never bring what it's worth until he is dead. Then it goes through the roof. Canada does NOT have free health care despite Michael Moore...I wonder if there is a fake of his????
The rich still do not lose out. The works just get passed on to someone else with money. If the next guy can't sell it, it goes to a museum and he gets his name on a plaque and becomes a benefactor. One of the first things I was taught in real estate, caveat emptor.
i mean, his art pieces went into that book of greatest masterpieces in the world. he makes great art. would be great if he recognised his own talents instead and used his own name though.
+shisu001 Imagine what he would have created if the art industry had embraced his talent - and that of other emerging artists rather than always looking to the past to known, sure investments.
He is signing his own name now, watch the clip again, it's mentioned. He gets commissioned to paint in other styles, just like his forgeries, but signs his name. He's doing it honestly now.
Using his own name probably wasn't practical before he became known as an amazing forger and earned enough clout to sell his artwork under his own name. Art is an oversaturated field, much like writing. Being incredibly talented often isn't enough for an artist to make a living and we're seeing more and more mediocre artists gaining fame and fortune. For every author like Stephenie Meyer and E. L. James there are countless truly talented writers who will never make a penny or be acknowledged by the industry/society, because it often isn't so much about talent as it is chance. Right place, right time, right audience.
Beltracchi answers your exact question in an interview he did with the BBC. He said the reason he didn't sign his own name (before he went to prison) was *money*. Nobody pays good money for a forgery and Beltracchi knew this so instead he claimed they were painted by the original artist. You can find the BBC interview here on CZcams.
If I make an exact copy of a Cézanne still life, who is the artist me or Cézanne? My copy shows skill but not creativity. And if there is no creativity, there is no real art. That is the vital difference between an original painting and a copy. One is the product of a creative 'artist'. The other is the product of a skillful painter. A subtle distinction, you say? Perhaps. And if the image itself is all that matters, then, fine...accept the copy as equal to the original. But only one canvas is a work of ART.
Yes, those forgeries weren’t copies. They were original creations in the style of a famous painter. The only thing forged in a strict sense was the signature of the artist.
The surface of art that’s just a result of studying...The truly important of art is process what artists reached to this point.He doesn’t have any soul.
Ripping off people yeah that's obviously bad, but the paintings themselves are not. I'm taking a Forgery, Authenticity and Restoration class and so far what I've learned is that if not for reproductions the original would have no value. Like any great film, story, play or poem their are various re-imaginings, reinterpretations and recreations. And though people all have their opinions one thing is universal- the viewer always goes back to the original for comparison thus keeping it alive. Can you think of any work of art that stood the test of time by remaining as one...not reprinted, commercialized or emulated once?
he is in a german prison. he gets to leave every day and only has to sleep in his prison cell. he gets every other weekend off from jail too. it's a pretty sweet deal. provided he doesnt mess up, he will do about 2-3 years like that and then he is free. he made millions so he will go back to a nice life.
he ripped off offshore companies and alike, who buy art only as an investment instead of enjoying it and he pushed the market with his actions- one painting he did sold for 25ooo and a few years later he came across the very same painting and the price was now over 2 mio!
IT MATTERS, PEOPLE. It matters. It MATTERS if the piece I have was "really by" xyz... NOT for the "money..." But for the special-ness of it. I want to touch what that person touched - BEcause they are THEM - NOT some guy copying others, etc.
If he is so great why he doesn’t create is own style? Artist who copy dont have what makes a great artist, imagination. Don’t admired con artist s, he does a lot of pain to other artists. What diferente is printing fake money? He did it for the money he lived very expensive live and he only pay 6 or 5 years? Don’t praise him he is a criminal.
Wolfgang, I'm sad that you tried to give away credit for your work to artists past. You could have signed your own name, become famous and avoided prison. Your work is awesome.
is funny how someone can make millions fooling people out of this money , but because somehow that people got their money fooling other people ie stock market or other scams... is OK... what difference that it makes? he got away with millions and only did 6 years of prison... and after becoming a known criminal, still continued to make fake paintings that people buy... no remorse, exactly because thats exactly what psico liars have no remorse, thats why it is one of the questions any judge will make him....
But who is suffering from it? He is taking advantage of millionaires (and really only taking what is pocket change to them) who want the prestige of an original work in their homes. Compare that to crook bankers who's actions could effect millions of not so wealthy or comfortable people but will get bailed by the government no matter what destruction they cause. He's a con artist but a talented one that doesn't really harm anyone at all.
+thepro08 Did you fully watch the clip before you wrote this? The answer to your question is right there: "He didn't send anyone to a soup kitchen, he didn't foreclose anyone's mortgage", but that's *exactly* what shitty bankers do. That is the difference. Not saying he shouldn't have gone to jail. He did trick people out of their money, but comparing him to thousands of people who ruined millions of people with their greed is bit...eh...well...dumb.
because we live in age of zero integrity, only smart reuses and tricks to go by and yes they will concatenate a well argumentative storie but bottom line they are people of the lie.
@@antoniolima1068 his "scam" was in and of itself a statement as to what the nature of art has devolved into. The fact that this was a crime at all should make people re-evaluate what is criminal.
If I were to replicate a perfectly working Lamborghini and sell it to you and it operated as a Lamborghini and worked immaculately as a Lamborghini, but the only difference was that I had made it, would you feel scammed? If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it's a good enough duck, and the only fool is the one trying to pay exorbitant amounts for a brand
He gave the art world a kick in the ass it needed. It needs more kicks in the ass though.
Agreed & now it's my Turn ...but legit
His "crime" just showed the world that the art world doesn't care about the painting itself anymore but more about what name is attached to it. It showed that the true price of a painting in auctions is not depending on the painting itself and how good it looks but about what artist / brand is attached to it.
What I find heart breaking(because I am an artist), is I'm pretty sure that artists werent paid for the paintings they did, as much as those same paintings sell for now days( I could be wrong have no idea really).
Obviously, as Picasso once said, "i don't care how beautiful the apples on a canvas by Cezanne may look, I care about who the man was, the anguish of his soul, the torture of a Van Gogh" Obviously that one may be deceived and therefor had given more value to a work because of that, but deception defeats the purpose because not only the auctions judge in that sense but we do as well and for emotional reasons beyond our justice. Reasoning in such way about the true value of things is already defeating the art work before is created
@@victormorgado5318 Excellent comment!
Very very true
This interviewer, you Sir, is also the greatest guy in the world, so cool and full of humour style and great understanding of the Artist.
I love this guy :)
good art is good art, whoever creates it
You also buy the idea behind the picture not just the image.
Yea no, artist's styles don't fall out of the air. If you cover a song you
aren't a songwriter either. Doing your own thing is exactly what makes a
good artist
a cover is a copy. He copied nothing but the signing.
he copied the technique
Yes, he copied the technique, but absolutely perfect!
I believe in one episode of his series "Wolfgang Beltracci - Der Meisterfälscher" in which he portrayed Christoph Waltz in the style of Max Beckmann, he told Waltz that he felt a little bit guilty - but only for forging the artist's signatures.
What talent this artist is regardless of what it is he is trying to paint! He truly is a master of painting!!
He is a master on a level that’s not appreciated
Selling his brilliant art fakes to multimillionares who made their fortune by inflated pricing, monopolizing industries, paying off lawmakers, violating EPA via legal loopholes, etc... The wrong guy went to jail!
Well said.
Everything is awesome‼️
this guy is just brilliant....Bob Simon. quote...aired...Feb 21, 2014 - ...this was a year before Bob's Date of death: February 11, 2015 RIP BOB SIMON....
THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING ..
Convicted art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi is amazing..i learn a lot.. i am an artist..
super talented very likable guy. he has a banker's mentality though.
you can say that again .. a banker's mentality 110%
Wonderful
They're all originals.
Interviewer did a good job. I agree with his conclusion, and I was surprised at his candor in expressing it. Loved this.
My hero.
He certainly did a good job on his work, in the 1970's I did a few forgeries just to see if I could do them, I Didn't Do It for the money I did it for another reason, and it's very very time-consuming and research , you just don't go bang make a painting, you can't make a mistake, I did it by studying the drawings show the artist I wanted to forge, they were post impressionism,. Style because the items I need to were all available but I proved my point and I didn't do any more and no I never used titanian like where it wasn't supposed to be used, I often wonder where those paintings went to
Awesome.
By next 50years his painting will increased the value
I adore what him and his wife did to the art world :) the guy is just brilliant! the devotion, the talent, skills, but also so much fun and hedonism in Beltracchi's work and his life! And also love they share to each other is something special! :)
It is impossible to capture the aura of an original artwork (it’s place in time and space)! -Walter Benjamin
Great ART Regards J.J Pokrak Compmaturism
I enjoyed this.
Mathilde- u r right. Great artists are seldom recognised in their own lifetime. A few of my own forgeries are in general circulation I am proud to say. My advice to any young aspiring artist - carry on faking: it is more profitable!
More power to ya! I'd love to have that kind of talent!
Sure dude. Sure.
Steve Davies that’s actually not true. Most famous artists have already been famous during their lifetime. That myth of the unrecognized genius is pretty much based on Van Gogh alone. You might find a couple more, but not nearly as many as „famous during lifetime“
He did amazing business...it is impossible to copy painting like original
TO ME THE FORGER HAS MORE TALENT...IT'S MUCH HARDER....TO COPY A PAINTING THAN TO PAINT ONE
If the action houses didn't care about the provenance of these pictures they obviously didn't care if they were forgeries. All they were interested in was their fat commissions.
HERO! 💯
My uncle is Paul Fournier of Toronto, best to search Paul Fournier Canadian Artist. Their health is failing, his work is in demand, but he just had to give up the studio, medical bills are piling up, but it will never bring what it's worth until he is dead. Then it goes through the roof. Canada does NOT have free health care despite Michael Moore...I wonder if there is a fake of his????
Imagine this guy walking through a castle or museum and saying "this, that and this one as well are all my work"
I wanna impersonate an art forger.
The rich still do not lose out. The works just get passed on to someone else with money. If the next guy can't sell it, it goes to a museum and he gets his name on a plaque and becomes a benefactor. One of the first things I was taught in real estate, caveat emptor.
wolfgang - u silly old bugga- why did you bother forging? Your work is better than the originals!
Steve Davies its one in the eye for the snobs of the art world, plus the money :D
+Steve Davies he was frustrated because nobody was interested in his art when he was young
not true- he sold his own stuff too and lived from it
Plot twist: it’s all an act, he never really stopped...
i mean, his art pieces went into that book of greatest masterpieces in the world. he makes great art. would be great if he recognised his own talents instead and used his own name though.
+shisu001 Imagine what he would have created if the art industry had embraced his talent - and that of other emerging artists rather than always looking to the past to known, sure investments.
He is signing his own name now, watch the clip again, it's mentioned. He gets commissioned to paint in other styles, just like his forgeries, but signs his name. He's doing it honestly now.
Using his own name probably wasn't practical before he became known as an amazing forger and earned enough clout to sell his artwork under his own name. Art is an oversaturated field, much like writing. Being incredibly talented often isn't enough for an artist to make a living and we're seeing more and more mediocre artists gaining fame and fortune. For every author like Stephenie Meyer and E. L. James there are countless truly talented writers who will never make a penny or be acknowledged by the industry/society, because it often isn't so much about talent as it is chance. Right place, right time, right audience.
he only signs with his name now as you can imagine.
Beltracchi answers your exact question in an interview he did with the BBC. He said the reason he didn't sign his own name (before he went to prison) was *money*. Nobody pays good money for a forgery and Beltracchi knew this so instead he claimed they were painted by the original artist. You can find the BBC interview here on CZcams.
The paintings are high quality perhaps... but there's zero innovation in this.
If I make an exact copy of a Cézanne still life, who is the artist me or Cézanne?
My copy shows skill but not creativity.
And if there is no creativity, there is no real art.
That is the vital difference between an original painting and a copy.
One is the product of a creative 'artist'.
The other is the product of a skillful painter.
A subtle distinction, you say?
Perhaps.
And if the image itself is all that matters, then, fine...accept the copy as equal to the original.
But only one canvas is a work of ART.
nah
He wasn’t copying. He was creating in other people’s styles
Yes, those forgeries weren’t copies. They were original creations in the style of a famous painter. The only thing forged in a strict sense was the signature of the artist.
Nikolaus und Rupprecht this is the highest form of creativity in my experience as an artist
And People Laughed at my Time Priced Face Painted Canvas Paintings.
Great comment right at the end.
he should have just been honest since the paintings were done by him. smh
Well he wouldn't have gotten Millions from it that way sooo
He is a great artist himself, no need to forge.
but how to you make it crackle though
Bake it slowly in an oven
The surface of art that’s just a result of studying...The truly important of art is process what artists reached to this point.He doesn’t have any soul.
Maybe the fakes get more popular than the originals anytime ;)
Reminds me of Tom Keating
exactly....very good point.!! Tom Keating is amazing...great videos on youtube.>! i learned a lot from both ..i am an artist...
There is no doubt that he doing wrong,but he proved that the gallerists and auctions just care about Market not Art nor artists .
Robin Hood of the Art buying world.
Just sign your name,that is it.
Is a talented enough to paint a Leonardo da Vinci painting
Why should he be guilty? I don't see that he is doing anything that A I will be doing.
Good Luck Forging My Art
Prison for being a genius artist ? Is that a joke ?
ever heard of document forgery?
the art wasn’t his crime, the signatures were.
is it so hard to understand?
Ripping off people yeah that's obviously bad, but the paintings themselves are not. I'm taking a Forgery, Authenticity and Restoration class and so far what I've learned is that if not for reproductions the original would have no value. Like any great film, story, play or poem their are various re-imaginings, reinterpretations and recreations. And though people all have their opinions one thing is universal- the viewer always goes back to the original for comparison thus keeping it alive. Can you think of any work of art that stood the test of time by remaining as one...not reprinted, commercialized or emulated once?
Shadow Goethe
He has filled the world with beautiful pieces of art, and should not be in prison.
he is in a german prison. he gets to leave every day and only has to sleep in his prison cell. he gets every other weekend off from jail too. it's a pretty sweet deal. provided he doesnt mess up, he will do about 2-3 years like that and then he is free. he made millions so he will go back to a nice life.
do you really think he can just keep all of that money?
he ripped off offshore companies and alike, who buy art only as an investment instead of enjoying it and he pushed the market with his actions- one painting he did sold for 25ooo and a few years later he came across the very same painting and the price was now over 2 mio!
IT MATTERS, PEOPLE. It matters. It MATTERS if the piece I have was "really by" xyz... NOT for the "money..." But for the special-ness of it. I want to touch what that person touched - BEcause they are THEM - NOT some guy copying others, etc.
Ladron que roba a otro ladron, tiene cien anos de perdon......A thief that steals fm a thief.....
What difference does it make? All the difference in the world.
Germans eh?!
What’s real and what’s fake I the Art world are you for real? T he whole world is fake
If he is so great why he doesn’t create is own style? Artist who copy dont have what makes a great artist, imagination. Don’t
admired con artist s, he does a lot of pain to other artists.
What diferente is printing fake money? He did it for the money he lived very expensive live and he only pay 6 or 5 years?
Don’t praise him he is a criminal.
Wolfgang, I'm sad that you tried to give away credit for your work to artists past. You could have signed your own name, become famous and avoided prison. Your work is awesome.
somehow you really do not understand the concept of a con !
interesting, cool I'll have to think about that.
"all art is con"
he is definitively skilled
is funny how someone can make millions fooling people out of this money , but because somehow that people got their money fooling other people ie stock market or other scams... is OK... what difference that it makes? he got away with millions and only did 6 years of prison... and after becoming a known criminal, still continued to make fake paintings that people buy... no remorse, exactly because thats exactly what psico liars have no remorse, thats why it is one of the questions any judge will make him....
But who is suffering from it? He is taking advantage of millionaires (and really only taking what is pocket change to them) who want the prestige of an original work in their homes. Compare that to crook bankers who's actions could effect millions of not so wealthy or comfortable people but will get bailed by the government no matter what destruction they cause. He's a con artist but a talented one that doesn't really harm anyone at all.
+thepro08 Did you fully watch the clip before you wrote this? The answer to your question is right there: "He didn't send anyone to a soup kitchen, he didn't foreclose anyone's mortgage", but that's *exactly* what shitty bankers do. That is the difference. Not saying he shouldn't have gone to jail. He did trick people out of their money, but comparing him to thousands of people who ruined millions of people with their greed is bit...eh...well...dumb.
at least he's making art and not selling sugary addictive, drinks and marketing them to young kids. just saying
Why glorify a scammer?
because we live in age of zero integrity, only smart reuses and tricks to go by and yes they will concatenate a well argumentative storie but bottom line they are people of the lie.
@@antoniolima1068 his "scam" was in and of itself a statement as to what the nature of art has devolved into. The fact that this was a crime at all should make people re-evaluate what is criminal.
If I were to replicate a perfectly working Lamborghini and sell it to you and it operated as a Lamborghini and worked immaculately as a Lamborghini, but the only difference was that I had made it, would you feel scammed? If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it's a good enough duck, and the only fool is the one trying to pay exorbitant amounts for a brand
No one "channels" anyone, and this is crap.
He didn't say that. The lady questioning the interviewer put words in his mouth.
He copied crap art, go ahead try to imitate Vermeer or Rembrandt, modern art easy to forge, it is all garbage anyway.
bro he could totally do that the only one that´s hard he says is Giovanni Bellini
He did Vermeer too😂 look up the KAIROS project