ברוכים הבאים לאתר חברת ARTSIGNET

by Yoram Braier

"Forgery of Jewish Art is changing Jewish History". When one examines Judaica objects of the 17th and 18th centuries which are attributed to Jews or were produced by Jews, one gets the impression that Jews were very wealthy in view of the abundance of elaborate Silverware. This is however far from the truth. Fact is that authentic ancient Jewish Art objects are hard to find and hence there is a tendency to forge non-Jewish ritual objects and "convert" them into Judaism.

A very experienced art appraiser was asked to certify authenticity of a silver Zedaka Box. The buyer of this piece was in doubt about its authenticity. The Zedaka Box presented was a remarkable one weighing 2 Kilograms, made of silver and gold plated. The box was "Bezalel" style of the early 20th century. The Box was stamped with a silver-mark of Russia, 1903. After examining the item carefully the art appraiser said that the "age" of the item does not correspond with the silver-mark. The customer said: "So you believe that this is a forgery?" The art appraiser did not answer since he was not present when the object was purchased and did not know how it was presented by the seller however the explanation was simple. First off, The "Bezalel" school opened in 1906. Secondly, the style of this Zedaka Box is unknown since authentic boxes were always made modest – it is improper to ask for charity and present an expensive looking box. The silver-mark was embossed in such a way that it was obvious it was added after the item was complete. Had it been embossed originally it would have been in a discreet spot, not to mention aging signs which were missing.

An antique dealer contacted the art appraiser shortly after this incident asking if he was contacted by a customer who bought a Zedaka Box, and the appraiser confirmed. The dealer then asked if it is possible that this item is only 30 or 40 years old, and the appraiser replied that since the silver-mark is more than 100 years old the question is irrelevant. Finally the dealer said: if so – next time no silver-mark!!!

The Spanish police arrested recently four people for trying to sell a forged Pablo Picasso oil painting for up to 1.2 million Euro. The canvas, a counterfeit version of a 1964 work called “The bust of Jeune Garcon” was accompanied by false authenticity documents bearing the signatures of Paloma, one of the Spanish painter’s daughters, and a renowned French art expert. Investigators sought professional advice from museum experts and determined that the real painting, which is slightly different to the offered fake, carries an official certification by the painter's oldest surviving offspring.

* Original article by The Associated Press

For the full article, please visit: http://www.kentucky.com/

by Yoram Braier

In Ethiopia, the story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba is a mythological story passed on from generation to generation. The first Ethiopian King Menelik is considered as the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Ethiopian artists were often inspired by this myth and expressed it in their art.

This painting which consists of lengthwise panels resembles scenes of a play.

The history of Ethiopian painting is related both to the Old Testament and to the New Testament and goes back to the 4th century. At that period Ethiopian painting was mainly influenced by Byzantine art while during the renaissance it tended to Western painting. Most paintings were created on canvas mounted on the wall like a fresco. These paintings covered walls of churches which resembled Byzantine churches. During late 19th century there is an obvious trend of academic painting alongside with folkloristic painting in a very symbolist style. Typical of the late 19th century are paintings which include inscriptions and they are mostly longish such as the paintings on columns of churches.

After 1910 paintings mainly portray the community life in the villages. The painted panel is divided into small sections and each one depicts scenes with no regard to proportions or details while using very harsh and strong colors.

The painting "King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba" was stolen during a burglary into a house in Israel. The Insurance claim was on the amount of 200,000 Euros based on an estimate by a Gallery in Monte Carlo. On February 15, 1988 a gallery from Paris held an auction in Israel. An Ethiopian artwork was offered for sale. It was an oil painting depicting the story of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba – oil on canvas, consisting of 44 small paintings, very rare.

It is obvious that the style is identical, the design and layout are identical and the number of panels is the same. The difference between the two paintings is in the absence of details in the stolen work which proves that it was painted at a later date. The painting was not sold.
This painting was offered for sale by an auction house several years later and since it was not sold, the owner of the auction house gave it as a gift to an art expert who is an acquaintance of his.

by Yoram Braier

A young man appeared in 1983 in an art expert's office holding a plastic bag. He introduced himself and said that in the bag there are 5 artworks which he inherited from his grandfather and which he would like to sell. The grandfather was a gallery owner in Berlin, with a local partner. 18 years earlier, when the economic situation was not very good the two partners decided to burn the gallery and collect the insurance money.

Prior to burning the gallery the grandfather removed the five pieces from the gallery and gave them to his grandson.

The paintings were:
A water color and drawing by the Czech artist Frantisek Kupka – accompanied by a letter from the artist's wife that the work is authentic.

A drawing on paper portraying a man standing in a cemetery (?) by the artist Kazimir Malevich – the drawing was not signed but it was written on the reverse that Malevich is the artist.

A drawing by the artist Alexander Tatlin.
A lithograph by the Hungarian artist László Moholy-Nagy.
An oil painting by the Russian artist Piotr Matiorich.

The same art expert met a lady who owns an art gallery in Cologne, Germany. This lady established a collection named "Persecuted Art" which was exhibited in the Ashdod Museum of Art. The lady agreed to purchase the Kupka and the Malevich. As for the Mohly-Nagy and the Tatlin she confirmed that both works were forgeries of the 1950s, from Czechoslovakia.

This lady confirmed that the Malevich is authentic since she sold it twenty years earlier to a gallery in Berlin. The Kupka was accompanied by a certificate.

The two paintings are in this lady's collection till this day.

by Yoram Braier

It is said about Mane Katz that when he was asked what he thought about Chagall, Katz said that Chagall is an outstanding painter. When Katz was told that Chagall said that Katz is not a painter, Katz answered: Chagall is wrong!

Several years ago there was a theft of artworks in the Municipality of Safed amongst them some important works from the collection of Enrico Glitzenstein. The works were never found.

Some years ago a painting by Mane Katz was offered for sale by Sotheby;s. When the auction house checked with the Mane Katz Museum in Haifa it became clear that the work belonged to the Safed Municipality.

This is not the first case that works by Mane Katz have been stolen. However cases of forgery are discovered more frequently. Recently forgery of Katz's works has been reduced due to the drop in prices of his works.

In the late 1990s works by Mane Katz were offered for sale in Germany, by an Auction House not specializing in sales of works by Jewish artists. While selling the contents of an estate in Leipzig works by Mane Katz and Issachar Ber Rybak, amongst other works, have been offered for sale, as well as some works by other well-known Jewish artists. One of Mane Katz's works was purchased for a reasonable price. When the buyer asked to receive a certificate from the Mane Katz Museum he was astonished to be informed that the work is a forgery.

The buyer then asked the German Auction House for a reimbursement but was told that "Since the name Mane Katz does not appear in the catalogue in Upper Case Bold letters the auction house has no commitment that the work is by Mane Katz…The signature on the painting reads "Mane Katz" but the Auction House has no obligation to sell a work by the famous artist who lived in France and died in Israel where there is a museum in his name.

Attention has to be drawn to the "signature trap". Potential buyers of an artwork are mainly concerned about the signature on the painting. It is sometimes amazing to observe the "acrobatics" that both buyers and sellers perform when they are presented with a signed work in spite of the fact that the style is not characteristic of the artist, the work does not present his technical abilities, does not portray the subjects of his works but the buyers are drawn to the signature as if it were a magnet even though it is an element of an artwork which is easily copied.

Several years ago an artwork appeared in the art market. It was painted in Israel in the 1940s or 50s, depicting the city of Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee. The painting was not signed. A short time afterwards Paldi's signature appeared on the painting. When it was realized that this painting could absolutely not have been painted by Paldi – Shemi's signature appeared on it! An art expert expressed his opinion that it did not seem like Shemi's work. In the 1940s Shemi joined the British Army and was fighting in Egypt and Italy. During the 1950 his paintings were totally different in style. The painting seemed to the expert more like a Wechsler who painted in Israel in the 1940s.

Later on the signature was changed again – Wechsler appeared on the painting!

In such cases all that the potential buyer needs is an ultra-violet light which easily uncovers that the signature's paint is new and it glows differently than older paint.

Changing the signature is one of the most common methods of forgery. It all depends onthe current prices of the attributed work.

In 1996, art historian Thomas Hoving estimated that forged art comprised up to 40% of the art market.
Dalí, Picasso, Matisse and Klee are favored prey, due to the intense popularity of their artworks, and their prolific output. Interestingly, not all forgers strive to wholly mimic a style without fault; they intentionally incorporate anachronisms, hidden messages or flaws that may protect them against future claims of forgery.
Some exposed forgers have been able to profit from their infamy and skill. Forgers have been known to earn enough notoriety that their fakes become high-priced collectibles on their own merit. In an amusing twist, art by renowned Vermeer forger Han van Meegeren became so celebrated after his death that his own son produced fakes in his father’s name. These were literally forgeries of forgeries.

* Original article by Meg Floryan

Art crime represents the third highest grossing criminal enterprise worldwide, behind only drugs and arms trafficking. It brings in $2-6 billion per year.

One of the greatest problems is that neither the general public, nor government officials, realize the severity of art crime. Art crime funds organized crime enterprises and yet it is often dismissed as a victimless crime, because it is not understood.

Italy has by far the most art crime, with approximately 20,000 art thefts reported each year. Russia has the second most, with approximately 2000 art thefts reported per year. Italy is the only country whose government takes art crime as seriously as it should. Italy’s police is by far the most successful art squad worldwide, employing over 300 agents full time. Other countries have had great success with their art squads, despite lack of governmental support, while many countries do not have a single officer dedicated to art crime, the third largest criminal enterprise worldwide.

* Art Crime Facts compiled from sources including Interpol, the FBI, Scotland Yard, Carabinieri, independent research and ARCA projects.

* The information in the original article is agreed upon by a variety of reliable sources, including the US Department of Justice:http://www.justice.gov/usncb/programs/cultural_property_program.php

Francesco Clemente has decapitated playwright Edward Albee, strung up fellow artist Brice Marden by one foot, and covered his own studio assistant, Ricardo Kugelmas, with giant bees. This is no crime spree, but part of Clemente’s take on tarot cards, the centuries-old game of divining the future. And it isn’t always pretty.

Clemente tried his hand at reading cards and delved into ancient writings about the practice before embarking on a series of works depicting each of the 78 tarots. “I never imagined how similar the activities of reading the tarots and painting a picture are,” he says. “In both cases, there is the effort to be completely present, and at the same time, to remove completely oneself from the picture.” Exhibited at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence last fall, the images are now collected in a book, Francesco Clemente: The Tarots, published by Hirmer.

So how did Clemente decide to depict Jasper Johns as the Pope or have Kiki Smith proffer an hourglass as the Queen of Disks? “The choice is a result of a reading I made of myself and of the person. I have imagined the connection of every person with a card,” he explains. “It is not hard to portray artists, as artists portray themselves, and their mystery is in the clarity of their intention.”
Clemente begins and ends the series with self-portraits. He’s on the book’s cover, in the role of the Fool, holding a knapsack on a stick. “The Fool is the zero, pure potential, someone standing at the gate, on the eve of a great journey. I spend my time on that gate, waiting to make that journey,” Clemente says. “The tarots allow me to hope that this wait is not just a foolish game.” Traditionally, the rascally Fool carries the suits away in a bag at the end of the game, but Clemente himself wants to create more access to his tarots. He plans to have his drawings produced into actual sets of cards.