Film Reviewsart and craft: original fakesJan 22, 2015 Anchorage Press
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Mark Landis enters the scene en route to Hobby Lobby. His slight frame swims in his oversized clothes and his peculiar gait keeps time with the soundtrack. These attributes, along with large ears that bookend his bald head and timid gaze, lend a cartoonish feel to his character. However, that first impression gives way to a much more complex protagonist in Art and Craft, a feature-length documentary by Sam Cullman and Jennifer Grausman.
Landis has more artistic talent than most. He is a master craftsman and his skills made it possible for him to donate over 100 works of art to 46 museums in 20 states in the course of 30 years. They were all fakes, created by Landis himself.
Art and Craft provides a fascinating portrait of Landis' internal process and justification for what seem to be random acts of philanthropy. The works he forges and donates are important works that help establish an artist or an artistic movement but are not necessarily prominent pieces. Focusing on second-tier pieces that are worth thousands of dollars, but not millions, makes it possible for these pieces to enter collections largely without scrutiny by the recipients. The pieces range in style, and era, and by artist; from Peanuts to Picasso.
The institutions that padded their collections with Landis' original fakes also range from small museums in the South to prominent institutions, and from coast to coast. Viewers may wonder why reputable institutions didn't catch on more quickly to the con artist; perhaps they were simply derelict, or lazy, or greedy, or a combination of all three.
Landis does an amazing job at forging the works, considering that he uses relatively cheap materials. Of course not all institutions and curators are duped. Matthew Leininger, a registrar at the Oklahoma City Museum, upon discovering Landis' modus operandi, sounds the alarm to his network of museum professionals about potential forgeries in their possession. Leininger's obsession and subsequent work to track down Landis and expose him adds an air of espionage to Art and Craft. The fervor with which Leninger pursues Landis at times seems even personal.
Art and Craft pays close attention to Landis' environment and personal life to provide viewers with enough information so that they can understand his story. The documentary strives to understand why Landis goes off on philanthropic expeditions to donate art. It's not just that he makes forgeries and donates them. He creates an entirely different reality from his own to not only add credibility to his endeavors, but also to give context to his world.
Landis is not a typical forger. He doesn't have an ax to grind with the art world, and he doesn't do it for money. He grew up as an only child, and his family's circumstances provided him with opportunities to travel and visit museums all over the US and Europe. When Landis was 17 he suffered a mental breakdown triggered by the death of his father. Landis suffers from a number of mental health conditions, which, in combination with his high intelligence and artistic talent, result in an intriguing personality. The film sheds light on the influences that shape Landis' value system, especially his relationship with the world that is mitigated by television and media.
Landis, by his own admission, is not an artist, but a great craftsman. He's all about copying, and doesn't seem to be comfortable creating work that hasn't been done before. The idea that someone so talented is not an artist is compelling because it calls to question assumptions about the value of art, and about the arbiters of the art world, from a high school art competition to Christie's. Viewers will be taken aback by Landis' understanding of his world and his frank assessment of the meaning of aesthetics. One can argue that Landis infuses his fakes with his own experience so that they are legitimate works on their own, within the context of his story. The pieces he produces are akin to Truman Capote's Holly Golightly, "She's a phony. But she's a real phony. You know why? Because she honestly believes all this phony junk that she believes."
As Art and Craft shows, Landis has been fully exposed, so much so that he can no longer get away with it, though he has tried. These days, however, he may have shifted gears and now offers Landis original copies via commissions. People can now go to www.marklandisoriginal.com and get a real fake made by a true original.
Landis has more artistic talent than most. He is a master craftsman and his skills made it possible for him to donate over 100 works of art to 46 museums in 20 states in the course of 30 years. They were all fakes, created by Landis himself.
Art and Craft provides a fascinating portrait of Landis' internal process and justification for what seem to be random acts of philanthropy. The works he forges and donates are important works that help establish an artist or an artistic movement but are not necessarily prominent pieces. Focusing on second-tier pieces that are worth thousands of dollars, but not millions, makes it possible for these pieces to enter collections largely without scrutiny by the recipients. The pieces range in style, and era, and by artist; from Peanuts to Picasso.
The institutions that padded their collections with Landis' original fakes also range from small museums in the South to prominent institutions, and from coast to coast. Viewers may wonder why reputable institutions didn't catch on more quickly to the con artist; perhaps they were simply derelict, or lazy, or greedy, or a combination of all three.
Landis does an amazing job at forging the works, considering that he uses relatively cheap materials. Of course not all institutions and curators are duped. Matthew Leininger, a registrar at the Oklahoma City Museum, upon discovering Landis' modus operandi, sounds the alarm to his network of museum professionals about potential forgeries in their possession. Leininger's obsession and subsequent work to track down Landis and expose him adds an air of espionage to Art and Craft. The fervor with which Leninger pursues Landis at times seems even personal.
Art and Craft pays close attention to Landis' environment and personal life to provide viewers with enough information so that they can understand his story. The documentary strives to understand why Landis goes off on philanthropic expeditions to donate art. It's not just that he makes forgeries and donates them. He creates an entirely different reality from his own to not only add credibility to his endeavors, but also to give context to his world.
Landis is not a typical forger. He doesn't have an ax to grind with the art world, and he doesn't do it for money. He grew up as an only child, and his family's circumstances provided him with opportunities to travel and visit museums all over the US and Europe. When Landis was 17 he suffered a mental breakdown triggered by the death of his father. Landis suffers from a number of mental health conditions, which, in combination with his high intelligence and artistic talent, result in an intriguing personality. The film sheds light on the influences that shape Landis' value system, especially his relationship with the world that is mitigated by television and media.
Landis, by his own admission, is not an artist, but a great craftsman. He's all about copying, and doesn't seem to be comfortable creating work that hasn't been done before. The idea that someone so talented is not an artist is compelling because it calls to question assumptions about the value of art, and about the arbiters of the art world, from a high school art competition to Christie's. Viewers will be taken aback by Landis' understanding of his world and his frank assessment of the meaning of aesthetics. One can argue that Landis infuses his fakes with his own experience so that they are legitimate works on their own, within the context of his story. The pieces he produces are akin to Truman Capote's Holly Golightly, "She's a phony. But she's a real phony. You know why? Because she honestly believes all this phony junk that she believes."
As Art and Craft shows, Landis has been fully exposed, so much so that he can no longer get away with it, though he has tried. These days, however, he may have shifted gears and now offers Landis original copies via commissions. People can now go to www.marklandisoriginal.com and get a real fake made by a true original.