Two forged Monet paintings were withdrawn from auction in Auckland this week - not because they were forgeries, but rather because they were fake forgeries. Promoted as paintings by the legendary forger Elmyr de Hory, they proved to be rip-offs painted by the London bookmaker Ken Talbort who claimed to own more than 400 de Hory works.
The fakes were spotted online by de Hory's former personal assistant and sole heir Mark Forgy, who said the irony of the famous faker being copied wasn't lost on him. "The subject of others forging his works came up only one time. We both contemplated that for a moment and laughed at the far-fetched notion," he said.
Image: Monet's In the Woods at Giverny, one of the paintings copied by de Hory and Talbot
The fakes were spotted online by de Hory's former personal assistant and sole heir Mark Forgy, who said the irony of the famous faker being copied wasn't lost on him. "The subject of others forging his works came up only one time. We both contemplated that for a moment and laughed at the far-fetched notion," he said.
Image: Monet's In the Woods at Giverny, one of the paintings copied by de Hory and Talbot
