False Impression: A Criminological Critique of the Art Forger Stereotype

Abstract This article challenges the well-established narrative surrounding the popular persona of the art forger. It begins by tracing the history of art forgery, examining how stereotypical representations of the art forger became embedded in public consciousness during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The analysis then turns to the psychology of the forger. Drawing on a sample of forger autobiographies, a new psycho-biographical profile is developed that challenges common misapprehensions about one of art crime’s most enduring characters. More importantly, from a criminological perspective, this profile is then used to propose a new, less romanticized interpretation of art forgers based on a different set of emotional categories and motivational drivers—one that is more criminogenic in nature. Finally, attention turns to the contemporary situation. Here, I argue that we have entered a new era of what might be termed mass production fakery, and that by clinging to outdated art forger stereotypes, we make it harder to understand—and thus ultimately combat—the changing nature of 21st century forgery. By addressing art forgery in this multifaceted way, this article contributes both to the developing field of art crime and to the broader scholarship on counterfeiting and other forms of economically motivated product adulteration, smuggling and misbranding.