If an art forger has luck on his side, the world will never know his name, ambitions or abilities. Five of the most successful, captured and disgraced, however, are the subjects of an exhibit opening this month at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, in Oklahoma City. Intent to Deceive: Fakes and Forgeries in the Art World will display more than 55 works by both original artists (including Matisse, Picasso and Daumier) and the forgers who copied them. The painting of a Girl With a Pearl Earring in the collection isn’t the famous 17th-century masterpiece of Johannes Vermeer. It was brilliantly and publicly created “in the style of” Vermeer in 2012 by former art forger John Myatt, who made a few hundred fakes back in the day and sold them into the art market as genuine. Intent to Deceive also looks at the “careers” of Han van Meegeren, Elmyr de Hory, Eric Hebborn and Mark Landis by exhibiting their personal effects along with the materials they used to deceive. The show opens Saturday, Feb. 14. For more, visit www.okcmoa.com.
