fake art

Forgery or a copy?

There is a substantial difference between a forgery and a copy. A person who copies something, will put their own name on the copy they’ve created. This is not a criminal offence. You can even call it a tribute to the real artist. But master forgers are primarily out to make money from their work. They are savvy enough to emulate the style of famous painters to make it look as if an as yet unknown, new painting by a grand master has surfaced somewhere.

The origins of the Fake Art collection

Being conned when buying art. It happened to Henk and Erna Plenter – the founders of Museum Valse Kunst in Vledder – more than once even. When Geert Jan Jansen was arrested in France with 1,600 fake paintings, it turned out that their very first purchase was also a forged Matisse. This prompted them to further explore the art of forgery. The forged Matisse has since received a nice spot in Museum Valse Kunst.

Artworks that tell a story

Henk and Erna Plenter were true art collectors. The fact that sometimes things went wrong with their art purchases was an important reason for starting Museum Valse Kunst. In the late 1990s, Henk and Erna Plenter moved their private collection of paintings and contemporary international glass art to the former town hall in Vledder. The collection was expanded with paintings by artists from Drenthe. Over the years, Museum Valse Kunst has acquired a colourful collection of artworks: real and fake, art and kitsch, completely unique in the Netherlands! The collection consists of all kinds of artworks: fine art, paintings, etchings, lithographs and watercolours. The collection even contains a forged Rietveld chair. And all these works of art tell their own story…

What motivates master forgers

The works of famous artists like Appel, Picasso, Dalí and Matisse are forged more often than you might think. What motivates master forgers like Han van Meegeren or Geert Jan Jansen to forge paintings? You can discover all about it in the Museum Valse Kunst: a museum with a unique collection of forgeries. During your visit, you will learn about the techniques, materials and tricks used by the forgers. It is illegal to trade in fake art. Art lovers who have been conned into buying fake art have been coming from all over the country to offer up their “art”. The collection has also been growing thanks to donations from visitors and pieces that have been withdrawn by auction houses. The museum is also in contact with the National Police’s Art and Antiques team.