Book Review — A Forger’s Tale: Confessions of the Bolton Forger
- 02/20/2019 06:06 PM (update 04/10/2023 11:09 PM)
A Forger’s Tale by Shaun Greenhalgh
Shaun Greenhalgh is the Bolton forger and he wrote this book while in prison for, you guessed it, forgery. He was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months in 2006 after years of hoodwinking art dealers and museums with all manner of his recreations. He worked out of a shed in his parent’s back yard producing painting, sketches, bronzes, sculptures, a bust of Thomas Jefferson which sold to another U.S. president and much more. His works ranged from the Bronze Age to modern works and included Leonardo drawings and works by Thomas Moran who he particularly liked.
He recounts his early interest in art, how he got into the business, and why he didn’t have the talent to make his own mark in the art world. He claims that initially he really wasn’t out to fool anyone but he just found it so easy. The art experts wanted to believe that what he brought to them was authentic. After all, there was money to be made by everyone though Greenhalghasserts that after a short time he wasn’t in it for the money any more. He details the mechanics of how his works were made and he tells the mistakes and identifiers he included in his art. Particularly fascinating is when he discovers one of his forgeries currently on display and no one is the wiser. Imagine art experts discussing the provenance of a piece that is supposedly hundreds of years old and you know that you made it in your back yard 10 years ago!
The introduction is written by an art expert who was bamboozled and yet gives Greenhalgh the nod.
Carol Lloyd is the Churchill County Librarian and her work is authentic.
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