Michelangelo - Master Artist and Master Forger???

Your Art Concierge Editorial

Art forgery has a long and fascinating history from the Renaissance to today, and many novels have been written about the exploits of some of the most prolific forgers of all time - at least, those that we know of. 

One of the the most celebrated artists of all time, Michelangelo, had a proclivity for faking sculptures by artificially aging them to make them appear older, and copied other artist’s drawings, keeping the originals and returning copies in their place. Michelangelo even deceived a cardinal to whom he sold a faked work of art.

The beat still goes on in the 21st century. The posh Knoedler Gallery in New York sold forged paintings by a struggling Chinese immigrant, until the gallery was shuttered in 2011, stunning the art world.

Without question, the stories of art forgeries are fascinating, but art forgers defraud their clients and damage our culture's knowledge of art history.


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