Landis was very close to his dad Lt. Cmdr. I had poor self-esteem and then all of a sudden Id get treated like royalty, said Landis, explaining one of his motivations. He was a small and sickly child who spent most of his time indoors and had an eye for drawing at a young age. He got a kick out of giving away the paintings for free and leading art collectors to believe he was a philanthropist. He reveals, "I was never good at making friends, so I drew. rightImage: data.images.right.rightImage, Landis pays his own travel, lodging, meals, etc. (At one point, he In 2008, a registrar caught on to his act and exposed him to the museum community. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of art history, and is capable of copying great works of art in a matter of minutes. You get these boards at Mark Landis is a balding, soft-spoken middle-aged man who lives in a messy Laurel, Mississippi apartment where he drinks wine, smokes cigarettes, watches old movies on TV, and makes forgeries of artwork that he then donates to Southern museums free of charge, convincing the . Take Mark Landis, for example. His skills with a pencil or paintbrush are undeniable. var options = { Faux meaning fake or false or For real being you have got to be kidding me or make you think, what seriously? Mark Landis has been called one of the most prolific art forgers in US history. I did not seek the media; they sought me and this story as a social interest piece to help me educate the public, which has been my mission with Landis. As an apology for not having opened the door when Gapper first knocked, Landis gave him a painting he had designed and completed of Joan of Arc, signed with his own name. Landis's career as an art forger began in the mid-1980s, when he gave some pictures to a California museum, saying they were by the American 20th Century artist Maynard Dixon. The first work I examined in August of 2008 was a watercolor by Paul Signac, in which the same piece was released to the press, as a gift from Mark Landis, to the Savannah College of Art and Design. Robert Wittman, founder of the FBI's Art Crime Team, "It wasn't like Landis went in and said, 'Here, I want to give you this fabulous painting by Picasso and you need to pay me $100,000 for the painting,'" Wittman explains. " cookies Art and Craft. leftCredit: data.images.left.leftCredit, Unlike most forgers, he does not seem to be in it for the money, but for a kind of satisfaction at seeing his works accepted as authentic. The next is from 1987 when a work of his, a supposed watercolor by Marie Laurencin was given to the New Orleans Museum of Art. I hung the handicapped tag on the mirror and we went inside. [1] He is best known for "donating" large numbers of forged paintings and drawings to American art museums. Two: Clara Ridste was her mother. He fought the disease much like he lived his life - with . Mark Landis may be the most infamous and prolific art forger who has never committed a crime. I dont think well get into trouble.. Not only were his fakes convincing, but he also knew exactly what to say when he met with museums. After dropping out of the Art Institute of Chicago and failing to open . When I met Landis for the first time, not only did he show the love of art but the love of his family, mainly 'mother' as he always referred. showButton: data.footer.button.showButton, Kel was a wonderful, loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, friend and mentor. hide caption. Art and Craft is a new feature documentary about art forger Mark Landis who is arguably one of the most prolific art forgers in U.S. history, having tricked over 60 museums in 20 states into believing his masterfully created replicas are authentic artworks.The catch: so far, it appears Landis, who has been diagnosed as schizophrenic, has yet to commit a crime. The Hilliard University Art Museum discovered that they had been given a fake within hours when examining the painting under a microscope and ultraviolet light. leftImage: data.images.left.leftImage, Can Shell close the valuation gap with US rivals? As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Art fraud investigator Colette Loll believes making fakes was the way he managed his mental illness. Father: Hans Heinrich Landis b: ABT 1620 Mother: Barbara Bueler b: ABT 1620. Well, after tax its around six dollars.. As one museum director explains in the documentary, Landis would imply he had more paintings he might donate "and possible endowments from the family's estate." })(jQuery || NYTD.jQuery); Stanislas Lepine, Terrassiers, au Trocadero (c. 1890) Offered to: Oklahoma City Museum of Art, St. Louis University Museum of Art, University of Kentucky Museum of Art, Mississippi Museum I used watercolors and black crayon because thats what they said he used in the catalog. A slight 59-year-old man with Alfred E. Newman ears and an unprepossessing mien, Landis crisscrossed the country presenting counterfeit art to museums not to enrich himself . Before monetary profit enters the thoughts of a forger for their gain, the only benefit for the professional in the collecting field is disproving the discovery of a new, potentially valuable work that comes on the market. Numerous attempts to contact Mr. Landis at phone numbers listed for him in public records and at numbers he provided to museums were unsuccessful. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. His last known attempt to pass off a forgery occurred in mid-November, when he presented himself, again as Father Arthur Scott, at the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, bearing a French Academic drawing. Landis, who lived with his mother in Laurel until she died in 2010, characterizes himself as a lonely old shut-in.. Christie Chu, October 1, 2014. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Art And Craft. Check if your rightCredit: data.images.right.rightCredit, A funny, fascinating, too-good-to-be-true documentary about Mark Landis, one of the world's most prolific art forgers, who for over 30 years has duped museums across the country--until one determined registrar sets out to stop him. Leininger lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and uses his acquired knowledge of fakes and to help stop other forgers. leftButtonText: data.footer.button.leftButtonText, And you could go six months without seeing him. The museums suspicions aroused, it examined the works and determined they were forgeries. They get a letter in the mail of a promised gift of art and then it shows up via FedEx or in person, as he did while I was in Oklahoma City, along with a photocopy of an auction catalogue entry for provenance reasons showing he was the owner. Second, it undermines the so-called experts who dismissed the scammers original work in the first place. 1) by 19th century artist Charles Courtney Curran. Hes also made copies of letters from John Hancock and Abraham Lincoln. His materials including magic markers and frames from Wal-Mart are not those of a "proper" forger, says filmmaker Sam Cullman. paintings for five-something. He rarely eats. And I think over time we learned that, while they may have opposing roles, they shared an obsession. His materials including magic markers and frames from Wal-Mart are not those of a "proper" forger, says filmmaker Sam Cullman. Since Landis was donating his copies to museums, he wasn't doing anything illegal. Here, exclusively for T, Landis talks about some of his most successful forgeries. The auction house, gallery owner, or other middle man selling the piece gains its commission. Landis is an internationally-known art forger who fooled multiple museums across the U.S., the story of which is told in the 2014 documentary "Art and Craft.". The interesting thing with the now fourth alias at Loyola, is that Landis had presented himself as Landis at Loyola ten years earlier, and had gifted the institution ten forgeries: all paintings that he had created, and which he passed off as valuable originals. But this small, stoop-shouldered, bald-headed man who barely moves his mouth when he speaks has copied works . Article topics. When Mr. Landis contacted the museum and said he wanted to donate artworks in his fathers memory, Mr. Bassi said his story seemed to add up at first. Mark Landis craves artistic expression and finds strength in the validation he receives from it. He arrived in a big red Cadillac and introduced himself as Father Arthur Scott. Hes very well read and knows a lot about art history, and so he can be very convincing, he said. var beforeAfterContainer = $('#nytmm_beforeAfter_wrapper499 .nytmm_beforeAfter_container'); The filmmakers tag along as he performs some of his stunts. leftImage: data.images.left.leftImage, Mark Landis of Laurel gives a short introduction to "Art and Craft," a documentary about his life as an art forger. A week later, Landis phoned Gapper and invited him to visit and Gapper returned to Louisiana to spend a day with Landis in his apartment. Mother of Max Landis Mother of Rachel Landis. ", Cullman believes it was an obsession not only for art and forgeries, but also for finding a "place for themselves in the world." The new buyer be it a museum or private collector, gains a rare trophy. The Curran painting looked authentic right off the bat. the modernist painter John Marin he says, You could get a 3-year-old to do better sailboats) while conceding that he may have a modicum of talent. Still, he is appreciative of the opportunities Art fraud investigator Colette Loll believes making fakes was the way he managed his mental illness. He has a master's degree in fine art, as a printmaker, and he is a knowledgeable follower of Nascar, which his wife introduced him to while they were courting. FUNERAL HOMES. hide caption. I am one of the most prolific art forgers in US history. Once I was there, I was able to convince myself I really was a wealthy benefactor. He was never legally caught since he gave only fake addresses and names with people in society believing Landis said he was who he was and the gifts were authentic. He's a shut-in who craves interaction. (function($) { As Landis told me personally after this was all brought to light to the public, he was never in it to hurt anyone or reputations, but enjoyed being treated nice and catered to as a philanthropist of art. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. But when he paid a visit to the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette, La., last September, he seemed more like a character sprung from a Southern Gothic novel. We Recommend Home Town: The Church House 50 Photos Home Town: The Colors of Hope 41 Photos leftImage: data.images.left.leftImage, leftCredit: data.images.left.leftCredit, Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. A Wikipedia entry reports Landis has shared his output with more than 60 museums in 20 states. Later after reviewing his mothers obituary from April 2010, I found that James Brantley was the name of Mark Landis step-father, and all signs suggested that the painting was a forgery. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Ever since being conned by Landis that day in 2007, he's been obsessed with tracking the forger down. With his odd demeanor and near encyclopedic knowledge of art history, Landis could easily come across as an eccentric art collector, says Sam Cullman, co-director of Art & Craft. Discover Mark Landis's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. died in 2010, the soft-spoken Landis is engaging if remorseless about his deception, and more than happy to demonstrate for the directors the crude yet ingenious ways he sets about copying works of art. leftButtonText: data.footer.button.leftButtonText, Past residents include Erika Buckner, James Dunigan, Mark Boonstra, Andrew Landis and Sheilakai Simmons. ", Landis was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 17. He has been one of the most prolific forgers American museums have encountered in years, writing, calling and presenting himself at their doors, where he tells well-concocted stories about his familys collection and donates small, expertly faked works, sometimes in honor of nonexistent relatives. He was dressed in a black suit, with a Jesuit pin on his lapel. where he continues to make his forgeries he calls them his arts and crafts often while watching television. And, he is easily distracted by details a womans bracelet, an ornate door hinge, the authenticity of a vintage movie poster which command all his attention. Her doctor couldn't pinpoint a cause. The only flicker of suspicion came when a museum employee began to chat with Father Scott about possible mutual acquaintances in the nearby Catholic community, at which point the priest seemed to grow nervous and claimed I travel a lot, to cover for his inability to recognize local names. Leininger did his due diligence and found out that other museums had some of the same works. Thats why I did so many of these, because you can do them like an assembly line. Earlier this month, Loll, the filmmakers and Landis attended a screening of Art & Craft at a conference for mental health professionals and families affected by mental illness. That would be a crime. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs. One Landis version of an Alfred Jacob Miller painting made it into "six or seven museums.". Mark Landis, in the guise of Father Scott, among others, has spent decades creating forgeries and gifting .