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Article: Mimicking the Masters; Fabulous Frauds on View at the Walters
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- October 28, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Mona Lisa is in Baltimore at the Walters Art Gallery.
Well, it's not the Mona Lisa. This one was painted by an
admirer of Leonardo, for a wealthy patron.
"She's one of about a half-dozen Mona Lisas of the era that
still exist," says Gary Vikan, assistant director for curatorial
affairs and curator of medieval art at the Walters.
Her portrait hangs at the entrance to a small but delightful
show, "Artful Deception: The Craft of the Forger."
Maybe that's why she's smiling.
The show came about in answer to a challenge issued by Thomas
Hoving, former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In an
article called "The Forgery Boom" in Connoisseur magazine a year ago,
Hoving said that ...