The Master of Faking Art

It is 1943, World War II has affected the Netherlands and the city of Amsterdam in every way possible. Just arrived in the most prestigious city of the Netherlands, Han van Meegeren is trying to make a living and a name as a painter. Life is not easy as an artist. Critics have no mercy in judging paintings and a community of wealthy civilians buying your art is not always as welcoming as one might expected. Apart from this struggle, there is a secret that you, Han van Meegeren, have been keeping for a while. A secret so big, a lie that is already told so many times, that it is hardly possible to ever tell the truth. [[Continue]] <img src="https://media.npr.org/programs/wesat/features/2008/july/forger/vanmeegeren_200-a7865c7a0bf53d8a84740b293e34e3b6a37b1042-s300-c85.jpg" width="400" height="450" alt="Han van Meegeren"> //Han van Meegeren// (after:10s)[^^IRPA-KIK, Brussels^^]

There is a loud bang on the door. At first, you decide to not open the door, but then again a loud bang! When you start walking towards the door you see that it is the police. “Mr. Han van Meegeren?”, the officer shouts. “You are suspected of selling stolen art to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. We found documentation that you sold Vermeer's //"Christ with the Woman Taken in Adultery"//. Therefore you are under arrest for collaboration with the Germans during the war and for illigally selling valuable Dutch heritage.” The secret you are carrying is going through your head. Will you tell them or will you stay silent? A lot of thoughts are going through your head. You have two options: [[Expose your secret immediately]] [[Stay silent and let them arrest you]] <img src="https://media.npr.org/programs/wesat/features/2008/july/forger/christadultery_200-84e9a04d502d3d5d56ea5d607501ed66335a9129-s300-c85.jpg" width="500" height="450" alt=Van Meegeren's "Christ with the Woman Taken in Adultery"> //Van Meegeren's Christ with the Woman Taken in Adultery// (after:10s)[^^Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst, The Hague^^]

“Wait! You mean the Vermeer painting?! That is a fake, I painted it myself!” you shout out loud. You feel that not only the police officers, but also you are startled by what you’ve just said out loud. The police officers look at you and don’t believe you. “You?! Faking a Vermeer? That would be ridiculous!” [[Insist that it is true and try to not get arrested]] [[Stay silent and let them arrest you]]

A part of you feels angry. They have no idea what it is like to be an artist that has never gotten any form of recognition for all his work. Another part of you feels insecure and disappointed. Will they ever know that you fooled a lot of people by faking Vermeer paintings? Will people ever find out that the famous Vermeer displayed in the prestigious Booimans and Beuningen Museum is not a Vermeer, but a Van Meegeren? [[Get arrested]] <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/EmmausgangersVanMeegeren1937.jpg/800px-EmmausgangersVanMeegeren1937.jpg" width="500" height="450" alt=> //The Supper at Emmaus// (after:10s)[^^Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam^^]

“What a foolish accusation!” the police officer shouts. “We know that you sold a painting with absolutely no provenance to Herman Goring. Moreover we also know that a lot of art has been stolen from particularly Jewish families during the war. We will not be fooled by a collaborator like you!” Not only is the evidence against Van Meegeren piling up, //if// Van Meegeren created all of these paintings, who woud believe him? [[The police overrule you and arrest you]]

You are put in a cold, dark cellar. “What is this for place? This is nothing for an artist!” Then you are collected by a prison guard. “It is time for your interrogation.” You are taken to a cell where you see the police officers that arrested you. They start accusing you of selling the stolen Vermeer to Herman Goring. What do you do? [[Deny]] [[Admit]]

“That is not true! I faked the painting, it is my creation, together with other fakes, such as the Vermeer in the Booimans and Beuningen museum!” That is not possible! There are multiple experts that vouch for the authenticity of the painting. Moreover, the paintings are also tested on their authenticity with a chemical test to see if the paint if old enough. Although you say that the painting //"Christ with the Woman Taken in Adultery"// and others are made by yourself, the evidence against you is overwhelming. [[This is helpless, I stay silent and keep the secret for myself]] [[Insist and tell them how you faked the paintings to even pass the chemical test]]

“Aha! We knew it!” You will be sent to court for your trial. Luckily, you’ve found a lawyer who believes you and will defend you in court. Maybe there is still a way to convince the judge of your art forgery. "Maybe they will believe me, but what if my concious is not clean? What if I am a collaborator after all?" [[Go to Court]]

You are trying your best to defend yourself and tell everybody the truth, but no matter what you do nobody seems to believe you. Although you say that the painting //"Christ with the Woman Taken in Adultery"// and others are made by yourself, the evidence against you is piling up. Experts insist on that the paintings are real Vermeer’s, due to the exceptional technique, the canvas is the right age and the paint is the same as used in Vermeer’s time. The Canvas even passes the chemical test, using alcohol to see if the paint dissolved. Although you know that it is not true, you will keep your secret for yourself. You come up with a new plan. “What if I can find a way to convince my lawyer and the judge that my paintings are a fake?” Then there would still be hope… [[Go to Court]] <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Evidence_against_Han_van_Meegeren_-_pigments.jpg/1024px-Evidence_against_Han_van_Meegeren_-_pigments.jpg" width="500" height="450" alt=> //Evidence against Han van Meegeren: a collection of pigments.// (after:10s)[^^Wikipedia^^]

It is the 29th of October, 1947. In Room 4 of the Regional Court in Amsterdam Van Meegeren's trial was about to start. The courtroom looks like a small museum. All around the judge's stand paintings are displayed. ###Who is the real creator of these pieces? <img src="https://snippetofhistory.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/han-van-meegeren-one-of-the-most-ingenious-art-forgers-of-the-20th-century.jpg" width="500" height="450" alt=> //The courtroom// (after:10s)[^^Wordpress blogpost: HAN VAN MEEGEREN ONE OF THE MOST INGENIOUS ART FORGERS OF THE 20TH CENTURY^^] The judge carefully listens to the accusation, the story of Van Meegeren and all the other testimonies. It is estimated that the total sum of sold art by Van Meegeren is more than US$30 million in 1967’s money. What if Van Meegeren never got caught for selling fake paintings? Did he intentionally dupe the Germans? Or was he just selling his paintings to whoever was interested? Is he truly a war hero and is his conscious clean? (text-colour:#faa2c1)[For the final choice of this game, you are ought to remove yourself from the perspective of van Meegeren. What if you were the judge? Is van Meegeren a collaborator or a master in faking art?] [[The judge is convinced, Van Meegeren is a war hero]] [[The judge is not convinced, Van Meegeren is a colaborator!]] ####Source: Snippet Of History - https://snippetofhistory.wordpress.com/portfolio/han-van-meegeren-one-of-the-most-ingenious-art-forgers-of-the-20th-century/

Read and Listen to NPR's item about Van Meegeren: 'https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92483237&t=1615817776383' Discover Van Meegeren personal page on the site of the Dutch institue for Art History: 'https://rkd.nl/nl/explore/artists/54449' Watch the episode about Van Meegeren of //Andere Tijden//: 'https://www.anderetijden.nl/aflevering/99/Han-van-Meegeren-meestervervalser' Read more in this blogpost Snippet Of History: 'https://snippetofhistory.wordpress.com/portfolio/han-van-meegeren-one-of-the-most-ingenious-art-forgers-of-the-20th-century/' Watch the movie: //The Last Vermeer (2020)// <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Van_Meegeren_signatures.jpg/800px-Van_Meegeren_signatures.jpg" width="500" height="450" alt=> //Han van Meegeren's autographs// (after:10s)[^^Wikipedia^^] <img src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMWE1NzcyOGYtMmY4Zi00NTA3LWE0OGQtM2RlNGI4Y2JlZTAyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDA4NzMyOA@@._V1_.jpg " width="400" height=550" alt=> //The Last Vermeer (2020)// (after:10s)[^^IMDB^^]

Despite committing the crime of faking art, van Meegeren became a national hero after World War II in the Netherlands. When he revealed in court that he had sold a fake painting to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the Dutch society welcomed him as a hero. He was eventually found guilty of forgery and fraud, and sentenced to a minimal one year in prison. Van Meegeren had a passion for painting since he was little. However, art critics did not go easy on his work. Van Meegeren felt disappointed and decided to show the critics how good he was in painting by foraging master painters of the Dutch Golden Age. He not only faked works of Vermeer also of Frans Hals, Pieter de Hooch and Gerard ter Borch. Van Meegeren sold his fake paintings to various buyers. It is estimated that the total sum of sold art is more than US$30 million in 1967’s money. ''What if Van Meegeren never got caught for selling fake paintings? Did he intentionally dupe the Germans? Or was he just selling his paintings to whoever was interested? Is he truly a war hero and is his conscious clean?'' After this trial, the art world was heavily impacted by Van Meegeren’s forgery. It lead to new testing techniques and brought the judgement of experts into new lights. From now on scientific tests became more and more important in verifying the authenticity of paintings. <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/VanMeegeren1945.jpg/800px-VanMeegeren1945.jpg" width="500" height="450" alt=> //Han van Meegeren in his atelier// (after:10s)[^^Wikipedia^^] #''The end'' [[Learn more]] [[Go back to the start->The Master of Faking Art]] ####Source: Snippet Of History - https://snippetofhistory.wordpress.com/portfolio/han-van-meegeren-one-of-the-most-ingenious-art-forgers-of-the-20th-century/

Despite committing the crime of faking art art, van Meegeren became a national hero after World War II in the Netherlands. When he revealed in court that he had sold a fake painting to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the Dutch society welcomed him as a hero. He was eventually found guilty of forgery and fraud, and sentenced to a minimal one year in prison. Van Meegeren had a passion for painting since he was little. However, art critics did not go easy on his work. Van Meegeren felt disappointed and decided to show the critics how good he was in painting by foraging master painters of the Dutch Golden Age. He not only faked works of Vermeer also of Frans Hals, Pieter de Hooch and Gerard ter Borch. Van Meegeren sold his fake paintings to various buyers. It is estimated that the total sum of sold art is more than US$30 million in 1967’s money. ''What if Van Meegeren never got caught for selling fake paintings? Did he intentionally dupe the Germans? Or was he just selling his paintings to whoever was interested? Is he truly a war hero and is his conscious clean?'' After this trial, the art world was heavily impacted by Van Meegeren’s forgery. It lead to new testing techniques and brought the judgement of experts into new lights. From now on scientific tests became more and more important in verifying the authenticity of paintings. <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/VanMeegeren1945.jpg/800px-VanMeegeren1945.jpg" width="500" height="450" alt=> //Han van Meegeren in his atelier// (after:10s)[^^Wikipedia^^] #''The end'' [[Learn more]] [[Go back to the start->The Master of Faking Art]] ####Source: Snippet Of History - https://snippetofhistory.wordpress.com/portfolio/han-van-meegeren-one-of-the-most-ingenious-art-forgers-of-the-20th-century/

You are trying your best to defend yourself and tell everybody the truth, but no matter what you do nobody seems to believe you. Although you say that the painting //"Christ with the Woman Taken in Adultery"// and others are made by yourself, the evidence against you is piling up. Experts insist on that the paintings are real Vermeer's, due to the exceptional technique, the canvas is the right age and the paint is the same as used in Vermeer's time. The Canvas even passes the chemical test, using alcohol to see if the paint dissolved. "But I know the actual truth! What if I've found a way to fake the chemical past?" "Ha! Try to explain that to the judge in court." [[Go to Court]] <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Evidence_against_Han_van_Meegeren_-_pigments.jpg/1024px-Evidence_against_Han_van_Meegeren_-_pigments.jpg" width="500" height="450" alt=> //Evidence against Han van Meegeren: a collection of pigments.// (after:10s)[^^Wikipedia^^]