Lecturer: James Butterwick
This lecture takes us through the huge surge of interest in the Russian avant-garde. Previously unknown artists became famous and much sought after by the new Russian-buying public. However, with it came an industrial scale level of faking of their pictures, often with the connivance, unwitting or otherwise, of Western and Russian experts. This lecture will examine the evidence for and against such paintings including attempts to “sneak them under the radar” through Western institutions, as well as attempts to use the Western judicial systems and fake news to help “legalise” the works.
