Han van Meegeren | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Van Meegeren painting Jesus Among the Doctors in 1945 | |
| Born | Henricus Antonius van Meegeren 10 October 1889 Deventer, Netherlands |
| Died | 30 December 1947 (aged 58) Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Occupation(s) | Painter, art forger |
| Spouses | Anna de Voogt
(m. 1912; div. 1923)Jo Oerlemans (m. 1928) |
| Children | Jacques Henri Emil |
Henricus Antonius "Han" van Meegeren (Dutch pronunciation: [ɦɛnˈrikʏs ɑnˈtoːnijəs ˈɦɑɱ vɑ ˈmeːɣərə(n)]; 10 October 1889 – 30 December 1947) was a Dutch painter and portraitist, considered one of the most ingenious art forgers of the 20th century.[1] Van Meegeren became a national hero after World War II when it was revealed that he had sold a forged painting to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
Van Meegeren attempted to make a career as an artist, but art critics dismissed his work. He decided to prove his talent by forging paintings from the Dutch Golden Age. Leading experts of the time accepted his paintings as genuine 17th-century works, including art collector Abraham Bredius.
During World War II, Göring purchased one of Meegeren's "Vermeers", which became one of his most prized possessions. Following the war, van Meegeren was arrested on a charge of selling cultural property to the Nazis. Facing a possible death penalty, he confessed that the painting was a forgery, and was subsequently convicted and sentenced to one year in prison. However, he died less than two months later after suffering from two heart attacks. A biography in 1967 estimated that van Meegeren duped buyers out of more than US$30 million, his victims including the Dutch government.[a]
- ^ Dutton, Denis (2005). "Authenticity in Art". In Jerrold Levinson (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Aesthetics. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. pp. 261–263. ISBN 0-19-927945-4. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
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