Art Deco Poster Fabrication, ca. 1985
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GUEST:
It belonged to a friend of mine who was terminally ill, and he knew that I was very interested in Art Deco, and really liked this print, and lucky for me, he left it to me when he passed away.
APPRAISER:
Now, you told me that you had this piece appraised.
GUEST:
I had it appraised at one time, yes.
APPRAISER:
And can you tell me what the appraiser told you?
GUEST:
She couldn't find out any information about the artist whatsoever. Just on looking at it and the fact that it's Art Deco, and I suppose the age, she appraised it at $2,500.
APPRAISER:
At $2,500. Well, I'm going to tell you something. The piece isn't real.
GUEST:
It's not real?
APPRAISER:
Now, let me make this clear to you-- the piece is not a reproduction.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The piece is a complete fabrication. And it was made to look like the most perfect Art Deco poster ever.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
It's done in a style that I like to call "Hyper-Fitzgerald." I mean, it's absolutely like The Great Gatsby, it's...
GUEST:
Right, it's way out there.
APPRAISER:
It's got everything. It has the martini glasses, the monocles, the red lips, it's got the stylized angles. It's got everything.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
But it was done in the 1980s, and it was made to look like it was created in the 1920s. Okay. And, in fact, the people who made it even put the date on it. They dated it 1928.
GUEST:
Correct.
APPRAISER:
Which is, in fact, a complete lie.
GUEST:
Fabrication.
APPRAISER:
Now, there's an organization in America called the International Vintage Poster Dealers Association.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And they have spotted this poster as a renowned fabrication.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And they can date it because of the paper.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
They can date it because of the inks.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
If you were to take this out of the frame, you would find out that the poster is mounted on linen.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Because the people who were making the poster didn't want anybody to touch the paper. Because if they touched the paper, they'd find out that it was really modern paper.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So they mounted the poster on linen. So much for the bad news.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Now let me tell you the good news.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
It is an incredible Art Deco image, and if you ever are in the market to resell it, as long as you make it perfectly clear to the person you're selling it to...
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
...that it is not, as stated, from the 1920s, but from the 1980s, it would sell, and does sell for between $700 and $1,000. Now, if it really were from the 1920s, it would certainly be worth $2,500 or more.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
The funny thing is that the people who made this, their biggest mistake was putting the date on it.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
If they hadn't put the date on it... It'd be harder to tell. Well, not only harder... if they just sold it as a contemporary decorative print, it might actually sell for more.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
But now poster dealers are a little bit nervous to handle it, because they know it's a fabrication.
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