Uptime logo
Uptime logo
CreatorsSign in

Get in touch

Contact usFAQ
InstagramFacebookTwitterLinkedIn
CreatorsSign in

Documentary Hack
Made You LookBy Barry Avrich

In a Nutshell

The largest art fraud in the history of the U.S. took place over the course of 20 years, involved $80 million in forgeries of iconic artists, and fooled even the most experienced art historians in the world.

Favorite Quote

How could you have a fake Jackson Pollock hanging in your house with the name spelled wrong for ten years?

M.H. Miller, T: The New York Times Style Magazine

Introduction

In 1995, a woman named Glafira Rosales appeared on the New York art scene claiming to own a collection of previously unknown works of art by famous abstract expressionist painters such as Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Jackson Pollock.

She explained that she was a broker for a Mexican art collector known as 'Mr. X' and that he was looking to unload his collection at extremely low prices in comparison to the market.

Ann Freedman, the director of 168-year-old New York art gallery The Knoedler Gallery, jumped at the opportunity and spent the next 20 years selling Rosales' pieces all around the world.

She made around $10 million in commission while partaking in this endeavor.

When the authenticity of the paintings started raising concerns and lawsuits started flying, the question on everyone in the art community's mind was, 'how much did Ann Freedman know?'

It came to light that a 75-year-old math professor from Queens was the skilled artist behind all these forgeries.

He had fooled experts in every aspect of the art world so much so that his works were displayed in the most sophisticated museums in the world.

Here are the 3 key insights from this Hack

  1. 1.
    We see all things within a context, which inevitably colors our opinions
  2. 2.
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc volutpat, leo ut.
  3. 3.
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc volutpat, leo ut.
To see the rest,Download the app

Stand out from the crowd

Uptime helps you save time, reach your goals, and feel more confident across any area of your life.

Notice

We and selected third parties collect personal information as specified in the privacy policy and use cookies or similar technologies for technical purposes and, with your consent, for measurement and “marketing (personalized ads)” as specified in the cookie policy.

You can freely give, deny, or withdraw your consent at any time by accessing the preferences panel. Denying consent may make related features unavailable.

Use the “Accept all” button to consent. Use the “Reject all” button or close this notice to continue without accepting.