art forger
Fake masterpiece maker
An art forger creates fake artworks and passes them off as genuine works by other artists, typically famous ones.
The term covers both the person and the occupation.
Unlike a copyist who openly reproduces works, a forger intends to deceive: The art forger had fooled museums for decades.
The most successful art forgers combine technical skill with deep knowledge of an artist's methods, materials, and provenance documentation.
- fakeNot the real thing
- counterfeitFraudulent imitation
- masterpieceSupreme artistic achievement
- canvasHeavy woven cloth
- brushstrokeMark left by painter's tool
authentication · provenance · replica · Vermeer · gallery · fraud · pigment · aging · carbon dating · expert · deception · signature · museum · auction house · technique · copy · scandal · detective
- heritage crimesmuseum theft, tomb robbery, museum heist, stolen paintings, illegal export
- swindlersswindler, fraudster, scammer, grifter, charlatan
- IP thievesplagiarist, counterfeiter