We are happy to open the 12th Reel Artist Film Festival Toronto with a real-life art thriller:
BELTRACCHI -- THE ART OF FORGERY, followed by an exclusive discussion with filmmaker Arne Birkenstock and NYT art critic Blake Gopnik.
BELTRACCHI - THE ART OF FORGERY is a highly entertaining feature documentary film about the greatest European art forgery scandal in post-war history. It shows the painter Wolfgang Beltracchi doing what he considered his profession: forgery. Beltracchi’s paintings are not copies, however. They were invented by him yet could clearly be assigned to a particular artist. No galleries, no experts had any doubts of their authenticity and they made Beltracchi rich. He finally made the mistake that blew his cover.
BELTRACCHI - THE ART OF FORGERY was directed by Arne Birkenstock (SOUND OF HEIMAT – GERMANY SINGS!, 12 TANGOS – ADIOS BUENOS AIRES), who received the German Film Award in Gold for the “best children’s feature” for his 2011 film CHANDANI – DAUGHTER OF THE ELEPHANT WHISPERER. Arne Birkenstock was born in Siegen in 1967 and studied economics, politics, history and Romance philology in Cologne, Buenos Aires and Córdoba. His father was Beltracchi’s defence attorney.
Here's the director on the unique circumstances of creating this documentary:
How long have you known the Beltracchis?
Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi were in custody for one and a half years before their trial and they were sentenced in the fall of 2011. I didn’t meet them until after that.
How were you able to shoot with the Beltracchis; aren’t they still in prison?
Following their sentencing, Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi were let out of jail for about three months and then began their open prison sentence. That means that although they spent the night in prison, they were permitted to work outside it during the day. It was during this time that the film was made with them.
Why was their sentencing often criticized as too lenient?
Apparently, some people expect an art forger to be penalized more severely than a financial fraudster or a white-collar criminal. For me, that’s entirely incomprehensible; six years for a case of fraud is quite a lot. Some also object to open prison. In open prison, the offenders are allowed to work outside of the prison by day. If, after serving their sentence, they should integrate back into society in a regular way, that’s a better way than by gluing bags together in jail. In the Beltracchis’ case this also helps them to reimburse their victims at least a part of the financial damages. But this method wasn’t introduced just for Mr. Beltracchi; it has worked in the penal system in NRW and elsewhere for many years as a very successful re-socialization measure, both for an art forger and for other offenders.
What interested you about the story?
Wolfgang Beltracchi’s personality. The details of how Beltracchi pursued his craft. Of course, the issue of original and forgery because the Beltracchi case raises the question of why one thing is art, but not the other. I also wanted to know what role the art market played, the extent to which it was responsible for the apparent ease with which Beltracchi was able to act so successfully.
How did Beltracchi react to the idea of you wanting to make a film about him?
He didn’t agree to it right away. There was a prior rapprochement process; both of the Beltracchis watched my previous films and only then did they decide to work with me.
What do you have to say about the role played by the art market in this case?
All of the painters of classical modernism that were dealt with here are dead. Nothing is going to be added to their oeuvre; so the supply is limited, but demand is huge. If an unknown painting crops up, no one involved has any interest in this painting being a forgery. The expert is happy about the new discovery, the seller is happy about a bundle of money, the buyer is happy that a Max Ernst is finally back on the market. To this extent, this market is at least susceptible to forgeries.
Is the sale of a forged painting even considered a crime?
Art forgery is punishable and therefore a crime. The art forger, though, is the most popular, roughly speaking, of all frauds. There are a number of reasons for this. First of all, the victims are very well-to-do. They can afford to buy a picture for millions of euros. Of course, that doesn’t justify the fraud, but it explains why it’s considered “not so bad” by many people. Secondly, the art forger has a skill that is obvious to anyone: he can paint; he masters a manual and artistic dexterity that everyone understands and admires. The third reason has something to do with the prejudices that always crop up around the topic of “contemporary art.” Many laypersons like to claim that contemporary paintings are just splotches, while the art forger can at least paint properly. Also – and this may be the most important reason – many of us have a little anarchist inside who admires the rogue and the forger for doing something we don’t dare do ourselves.
Was it hard to convince the injured parties to make a statement in your film?
It was very hard. The big auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s, where a great many of Beltracchi’s forgeries were traded, refused to respond to any inquiries. Others were skeptical, too, considering I’m the son of the attorney. I always had to build up trust and conduct lengthy preliminary talks before I got an actual interview.
Does Beltracchi make forgery respectable?
All of the known forgers were somehow admired; it was the same for Han van Meegeren, ElmyR, Eric Hebborn and John Myatt. However, due to the diversity and the size of his “oeuvre” and the very expert and clever “sales” strategy, Beltracchi takes on a very unique role. There are also many people in the art world who admire Beltracchi because he exposed the weaknesses of the art market. In that case, the forger is perceived as the trickster, even if his original motive was not “enlightenment.”
