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THE OAKVILLE BEAVERWednesday, March 31, 1999 Master forger alm ost gets away with fraud This month's ArtQuest will recount what may be the art world's most celebrated hoax. Recently a gentleman in London named John Drewe was sentenced for forgery and fraud. The reason this case is so celebrated is that this crime took place in the red-hot market of modem pictures. The fakes were pur­ chased from a talented but impover­ ished artist who made a modest living painting 19th and 20th century paint­ ings in the styles of Matisse, Chagall, Giacometti, etc. Drewe, realizing the fakes were as good as the originals, hatched an elaborate scheme to dupe the art experts at the Tate and Victoria and Albert Museums. Drewe, himself a master fraud artist, donated these fraudulent paint­ ings to the museums in order to fake documentation, thereby gaining access and in some cases changing old bills o f sale produced by defunct galleries in order to build provenance. Drewe chose the 19th and 20th centuries because provenance is so much harder to prove - records are only decades old rather than hundreds of years old. Throw in a couple of World Wars, and the records get even murkier, to the point where the origin Paul Sandilands ArtQuest of a Matisse is more difficult to prove than that o f a van Dyck. Drewe also knew that, rather than looking at the actual painting, the art world has come to value the opinion of art critics and experts when it comes to placing an economic value on art. In other words, reputations are being built on expert opinions of great art, which are seemingly based on what prices the reviewed works of art have fetched at auction. - Drewe's scheme, perhaps the greatest case of art forgery this centu­ ry, has been estimated at some 180 paintings and may cause a possible nose dive in prices for 19th and 20th century paintings. But a couple of questions behind this fraud beg to be answered: Why couldn't the forger (artist John Myatt) make a living in the art world; and, how could such a talented man, regardless of fake docu­ mentation, fool experts whose names appear on the "who's who" list of two of the most prestigious art museums in the world? Surely, the public is going to won­ der if the entire art business is one big fraud. Are paintings deemed irreplace­ able by experts simply an elaborate fraud designed to gamer the largest amount of money possible regardless of real quality? After all, what is a painting? One possible definition is "an image, hand manufactured through oil manipulation on canvas." Is the value of the materials zilch, while the value of hand manufactur­ ing the image worth millions? Artists are routinely criticized for being amateurs or unable to produce work which critics consider worthy of serious consideration. The delicious irony here is that one of those artists fooled them all. While I do not agree with forgery or fraud, one has to wonder if Drewe had not been caught, would genera­ tions of art lovers strolling the hal­ lowed halls of the Tate and Victoria and Albert Museums be reading glowing prose about magnificent art while Myatt was laughing all the way to the bank? Cornerstone wins another award The entertainment presentation that won Cornerstone Entertain­ ment Concepts Inc. the 1999 Gala Award earlier this year has won the Oakville entertainment events company another award -- the Canadian Event Industry Award in the category o f Best Entertain­ ment Event for a Corporation. This award was announced at a Gala Awards Presentation held in Vancouver on Thursday, March 18th. The Canadian Event Indus­ try Awards recognize excellence in the special events industry across Canada. The award-winning entertain­ ment presentation was a 16- minute grand finale stage show produced by Cornerstone for Toronto Tours Ltd. This stage show was part of a sports themed "playing field party" which was attended by 3,000 guests at Sky Dome last summer. This award-winning finale included three integrated stages, rock climbing walls and profes­ sional climbers, a cast of 22 dancers, rappellers from the Toron­ to Police Emergency Task Force, sports trampoline artists, a 16-per­ son cheer-leading squad, two large dancing inflatables, a dramatic musical score, with large-scale laser and pyrotechnic support. TJnbeetable' foods are totally fat-free (Continued from page C1) can buy them 12 months of the year in the supermarket. They are one of the oldest vegetables on earth...M ost of the sugar we consume in this country is beet sugar." All the ingredients in Lallemand's products, except the spices, are Ontario grown. And the spices are hand ground, "hence the big flavour," she says. "I work hard at keeping them unique." Lallemand's beet products, which are fat-free, can be found at the One-of-a- Kind spring show and in M ari's Deli­ catessen at 334 Church St., as well as in select gift and gourmet shops across the country. I I ! n I V l ' k C : K l of The Oakville a copy last 4 weeks Knbas C onsultants 1998 C l Glass protects metal table top (Continued from page C4) end tables, wall tables, mirrors, clocks, bowl stands, and shelving units - in one of two patterns - the diamond grind, which McGibbon refers to as the executive look, and the swirl pattern, more new-age. "The pattern on the top of the table changes as you walk around it," he says, pointing out the almost 3-D effect of the pattern and way it changes according to how the light is hitting it, especially the tables that are topped with glass. "You can use the table without glass if you're going to be nice to it." But, since the metal may scratch, even more than glass, McGibbon recommends glass tops, especially for coffee and end tables. The Oakville artisan's work is sold across Canada and the U. S. and he has recently taken orders from Saudi Arabia. "People have bought my things here and shipped them to Hong Kong," he says, adding that his items are truly one- of-a-kind. "Nobody else wants to make them. They're too hard, or they don't know how." His work ranges in price from $40 for candlesticks to $500 for large tables and shelving units. Those who would like to see MqGibbon's work but cannot make it to the One-of-a-Kind Show this week, can call him at Dupont Iron Works, o f which he is president, at 337-7227 and make an appointment to visit his showroom. CANADA'S LARGEST ^ FASHION FABRIC DISTRIBUTOR SAVE20* -50° % ON OUR ENTIRE STOCK OF REG. PRICED HOME DEC FABRICS, UPHOLSTERY, HARDWARE, NOTIONS & TRIMS *Sewing Club M em bers save an ex tra 10% on a ll 2 0 % O ff item s! ENTIRE IN-STORE STOCK! BURDA PATTERNS BUY I pcGET 1 FREE! (of equal value or less) Offer valid March 22- April 3,1999. Not valid with any other discount offers. I Sate in effect March 22-April 3/99 on in-stock merchandise, excluding promotional goods & ends. Sorry, no special orders. Look for the red sale tags. Where competitive pricing applies, discount will be oft our regular chain-store price. has capiurec he hearts of dpera-goen i*? * everywhere Puccini's mu is melodiou: sumptuously orchestrated., end emotional charged with LIVING A R T S C E N T R E Box Office: 19051 306-60007 1-888-805-8808 Opera Mississauga: