David Henty exhibits lucrative imitations of Lowry, Picasso and Caravaggio
David Henty, who describes himself as the world’s leading art forger, is exhibiting paintings that imitate famous artists, including Lowry, Picasso and Caravaggio. The article says his copies have been mistaken for originals by collectors, auction houses, galleries and forensic experts, and that he has built a lucrative business selling them.
Works in the Brighton exhibition are priced from £9,000 for a copy of Vermeer’s *Girl with a Pearl Earring* to £25,000 for Picasso’s *Women of Algiers*. Henty says he works from commissions for wealthy clients and has painted many Lowrys; the article also mentions a thriller inspired by his life and a planned television biopic in China. It does not detail the legal status or disclosure arrangements for the works he sells.
In short
- David Henty sells paintings imitating famous artists.
- His Brighton exhibition includes works priced up to £25,000.
- The article says copies have been mistaken for originals.
Explained simply
Art forgers make paintings designed to resemble works by well-known artists. David Henty says he specialises in imitating painters such as L.S. Lowry, Pablo Picasso and Caravaggio, and that his copies have sometimes been mistaken for originals.
The Brighton exhibition includes copies of works by several famous artists, with prices ranging from £9,000 to £25,000. Henty says he paints many of these works to order for wealthy clients, and his life has also inspired a thriller and a planned television biopic in China.
The story matters because convincing copies can raise questions about how artworks are identified and valued. The report does not explain the legal status of the works Henty sells or what buyers are told about them.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “‘I’ve painted more Lowrys than Lowry’ says the world’s greatest art forger whose ‘Old Masters’ sell for £25,000”.