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Master forger reveals secrets of his dark art
By Louise Jury, Evening Standard 19.07.07
Crime pays: Art forger John Myatt has gone straight
Above board: Myatt now sells works such as this 'Monet'
Popular: This 'Dufy' can fetch up to £1,200
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For most of a decade, John Myatt faked art masterpieces that fooled even experts.
Now the convicted conman has gone straight and is to reveal the secrets of his re-creations in a series of talks in London this summer.
Myatt, 61, makes his first appearance at the Artisan Fine Art gallery in Canary Wharf tonight to launch an exhibition of paintings inspired by the Impressionist Claude Monet.
The show will then transfer to galleries in the City and West End.
"It seems to be popular with the general public," said Myatt. "People really are interested in the paintings. I don't have to ramble on about the crime all the time."
He used to advertise his reproductions of 19th and 20th century artists from Monet to Picasso in Private Eye but became involved in fraud when he was contacted by a man called John Drewe, who created forged documentation to present the works as genuine.
The law eventually caught up with them in 1995 and after a four-year investigation Myatt was jailed for a year.
Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, the writers of hits such as Porridge, are currently turning his story into a film script.
Now Myatt runs a profitable - and legal - business selling prints of his Monet-inspired works, all finished by hand, for between £900 and £1,200 each. All are produced using the same principle that governed the forgeries - they are not copies but scenes as the masters might have painted them.
"To some extent, that gives me some creative input. The paintings are idiomatically like the original artists," said Myatt.
But anyone keen to purchase one of his interpretations might have to strike soon.
"I'm 61 now and I'm going to stop, at least for a time, when I'm 65," said Myatt. "I'm going to declare an official retirement and paint for myself.
"It's quite frightening but I'm just going to be me, really in the hope of having learned something technically from all the other artists. I'm determined to do it. I think I could be quite a good portrait painter, quite a good landscape artist."
Myatt is also to present a TV series, The Forger's Master Class, in which he coaches talented amateurs to paint in the style of masters. The series will be shown on Sky Arts in November.
Reader views (2)
I agree with Carlye, why do we have to subscribe to Sky Arts to learn about something as wonderful as art? I am fed up with the choice of rubbish on tv as well. As an art student I would love to see more programs aimed at the arts more readily available to see via the BBC or other free channels. I dont subsribe to Sky, but another provider, so Im not going to get the opportunity to see this programme and feel quite frustrated about it. Im sure its going to be quite interesting but I'm not going to be able to watch it!
- Jane Walters, Brighton, UK
Why do we have to subscribe to Sky Arts to see and learn about art? The BBC did a marvelous program on Byzantine art called ICON on BBC 4. There were no plans to repeat it on mainstream BBC programs when I wrote in. Why not? Are we all obsessed with bimbos like Paris Hilton and Posh and Becks?
- Carlyle Braden, Croydon, UK
