Perhaps, though, he owns more or less than he knows: a "Picasso" from the agile hand of Elmyr de Hory? Unrecognized fake chef d'oeuvres of Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir etc. still populate the museums and living rooms of the world. The greatest faker of the last century did not copy, he created the masterpieces. And he did so very fast. Have a look (again) at the amusing film-essay by Orson Welles, "F for Fake", meet the master painter and see him at work. You will also meet his Ibiza neighbor, the equally brilliant literary faker Clifford Irving, who not only wrote the invented autobiography of Howard Hugues ("Hoax") but also a biography of his friend and inspiration, Elmyr de Hory. And if you rent the additional DVD from Netflix you will learn that the fake Picassos have become a collectors' item in their own right. What is more thrilling these days: a Picasso on your wall or an Elmyr de Hory that even Picasso himself could not tell apart?
Renate Stendhal
