To carry out the fraud and trick those who bid for it at Deutsch Auctioneers, it was enough to damage the painting, so as to give the canvas an aged appearance. But this is far from the only act of fraud in the art business: scammers benefit from a market that has ‘a lot of money and little judgment’
If you could live with just one work of art, what would it be?
Very difficult question! I could pick up a different painting every day for the rest of my life. Today I would choose
Whistlejacket (1762) by George Stubbs, one of my favourite paintings in the National Gallery in London. It is an unprecedented full-scale portrait of a rearing chestnut thoroughbred, represented with incredible realism against a plain background. It is like a painted equestrian monument celebrating a racehorse champion and the horse itself. It is an extremely modern image. The large format and its flat background, like a Japanese print, are just unique for animal painting: a revolution in the hierarchy of artistic genres and a romantic celebration of energy and nature. As an equestrian, I would love to have a similar painting of my favourite horse.