Fakes, Frauds, and Fake Fakers
Some counterfeiters try to enter the “soul and mind of the artist.” Some delight in the chemistry of baking paint and creating wormholes. Some start with real pictures and then “restore” them until they look as if they’re by a different artist. From ancient vases to conceptual art—if someone made it, someone else has tried to bamboozle the world with a copy. by Milton Esterow In Italy,” Salvatore Casillo, who founded the University of Salerno’s Museum of Fakes, recently commented, “if you’re a good enough counterfeiter, you eventually get your own show.” Casillo was right. Several good-enough counterfeiters have recently had their own shows. Icilio Federico Joni, who was known as the prince of Sienese fakers and specialized in Renaissance…