FRENCH “MASTERPIECES”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21019, 7 May 1930, Page 11

FRENCH “MASTERPIECES”

FAKED MILLET PICTURES, WEALTHY AMERICAN DUPED. » ' (United Prese Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) PARIS, May 6. •The art world is thunderatrucll by the revelation of fraud by Jean Charles Millet. For some time a flood of ‘pictures from the Barbizoners (French impressionists) has been marketed and has given collectors cause for anxiety. A wealthy collector recently paid Millet £2OOO for a picture said to have been painted by Millet’s grandfather and duly signed “J.F.M.”. Only when an American buyer offered £6OOO was the genuineness of the picture questioned. The grandson, who lives next' door to the fiarbizou Museum, then made a complete confession. He said be had been accustomed in early childhood to imitate his grandfather’s sketches, and had acquired such skill that finally it was almost impossible to tell his own product from (iis grandfather’s. He was thus tempted to .add • the initials “ J.F.M.” and sell the pictures. As the business flourished he employed a professional* painter named Cazot to produce oil paintings similar to his grandfather’s. Cazot states that he was that his pictures were being sold fraudulently. He was actually engaged oh a Millet canvas when the police came to inquire. The ease with which the faked Millet pictures were sold suggested enlarging operations to include Diaz, Corot, Daubigny, Monet, Dagaz and Cezanne. The output of such “ masterpieces ” is estimated at between 3000 and 4000 sihce 1923, The extent of the fraud will not be known unfil all the dupes' come forward. Probably the majority of the dupes will refuse, preferring' to hide their errors, especially wealthy Americans.