Art Forgery Stories United States
The priest who gave museums fake paintings
Mark Landis sometimes arrived in clerical dress, with a gift for the collection.
A visitor offering a museum a gift makes a different impression from a dealer naming a price. Mark Landis took advantage of that distinction. He arrived under false identities, sometimes dressed as a Jesuit priest, and offered works attributed to artists including Picasso, Daumier and Signac.
Landis drew or overpainted the works himself. His targets included regional institutions and universities across the United States. The gifts were small enough to look plausible and consequential enough for a museum to welcome.
His story became the subject of Art and Craft. It raises a question for museums that receive donations: can a persuasive donor story take the place of checking the object?
