What if Wolfgang Beltracchi was in the Porsche business?

[sithot]

Interesting piece on 60 Minutes. Convicted art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi was caught because he used a white paint which had traces of Titanium White which didn't exist in the period of the painting he forged. Up to and until then he had skated through life making a fortune.

He's been convicted, served time and is in a deep financial hole. He is now doing his "own work". I didn't sense he has any remorse other than using the wrong paint. Psychiatrists can weigh in here.

The backwash from all of his work is that authentication "specialists" in the art world won't do their job out of fear of litigation. Rich people don't like bad news and have the wherewithal to make life miserable "for telling the truth".

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/art-forg...n-dollar-scam/

Tom

[StephenAcworth]

Which is why documented provenance is a key tool in the art world... everything (to a point) can be forged/faked, but only if there is economic gain to be made by some. If the costs of the forging outweigh the value of the forged item, there will be no forging. As market values increase, the incentive to forge increases in direct proportion.

With 911s, the cars are (relatively) inexpensive to fake, think how much it would cost to create a paper trail over 40 years long... all the different garage invoices and receipts, the valuations as the car changed hands... whilst certainly not impossible to forge, the cost to create a fake paper trail would far outweigh the value of the car in most cases.

When we buy (expensive) items such as early 911s, we should demand good documentation and be diligent in how we assess the evidence we have. As the values of the cars go up, we have to expect the number of forgeries to increase...

As usual, it comes down to caveat emptor - let the buyer beware...

[sithot]

Ummm, I make what some would consider complete forgeries, as I don't sign my name to them.... whatever.

I guess my question(s) would be this:

After having completely painted your car, with the obligatory new front suspension pan from Stoddard/RestoDesign, new lower door skins, new rear quarters, etc. Had your interior redone by "pick your favorite upholsterer". Had your wheels rechromed or fuchs restored. Engine rebuilt with new parts. New rubber door seals. Etc. Etc.

What have you got?

I guess if you bought it that way, and had all the paperwork... I guess you have your "forgery" documented. Can you test the paint?

I'm kidding (sort of). But I'm always intrigued by cars that are advertised as "original" when there isn't a surface that hasn't been touched. I'm also fascinated by an "older restoration" with "patina", like that's a badge of honor as well.

I've got two cars in restoration right now, maybe I should call them "new production" by a "master craftsman"?


Eric

It is indeed a slippery slope. I say if you sleep good at night that's a good sign your heart is in the right place.

We have traveled to a place I thought we'd never see. Not even being in the business makes me wonder what it's like for those who put their ass on the line by trying to do the "absolute best right thing"?

No thank you but I'm glad it's available.


Tom

[sithot]

Remanufactured to as close as factory standards or COA or "what ever criteria" one wants to select is my best guess.I find it interesting in high art when things are touched up the paint pigment are mixed to close to original sample and material available during the period the art was originally done.Our paints don't even come close to original material yet we call them color matching.....its all sooooooo subjective but makes us all feel better like a blankey......if it wasn't about financial security investment or "money" who would really care in the hobby,we hide it under purism but it is directly tied to assigned value so this is certainly not altruism in the hobby like we want to believe.....nothing changes from the sand box .its still about marbles.

raj

When you retire I want you to teach an ethics course. I hear it's a short book in some circles.

Perhaps yours will be more than one chapter.

[doigthom]

Fine art is repaired all the time. See Rome, Venice, Florence. If repairs not made, art disappears. A forgery is a duplicate of original. Can be done for Chevy Camaro and some Ferraris were tried.

[StephenAcworth]

surely it's not so much a question of "what has been done" as one of "how is what has been done being represented"...

BTW Eric, your parts sit very nicely on my car and the receipts I have for them are in the dossier of documentation that goes with the car whenever it moves on...

[Milou]

He was a pretty amazing forger... I examined some of his pictures while at Christie's...very informed on the art market as well....

[sithot]

If it were not for the one paint formula that he didn't get right he'd still be rolling along!

No doubt he has "mad skills".

Tom