ELMYR DE HORY (Budapest, 1906 - Ibiza, 1976). "In... Lot 19

ELMYR DE HORY (Budapest, 1906 - Ibiza, 1976). "In the manner of Van Dongen". Oil on canvas. Signed in the upper left corner. Very good state of conservation. Measurements: 61 x 50 cm. Elmyr de Hory, born Elémer Albert Hoffmann, was a famous Hungarian painter and forger, author of more than a thousand false works and protagonist of the book "Fake", by Clifford Irving. He also appeared in Orson Welles' documentary "F for Fake" (1974). More than a forger, De Hory was a master at imitating the styles of famous painters. In fact, he painted the pictures but did not sign them, his dealer being the one who imitated the signatures of the masters. He would begin to sign his own name when his fame as a forger was already a valuable asset. His biography is confusing, as he falsified it himself, adding fantastic details such as his supposed aristocratic origins. He trained at the Heinmann Academy in Munich and in 1926 moved to Paris, where he entered the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where his teacher was Fernand Léger. He subsequently returned to his native Hungary, where he ended up in prison for political reasons. Released during the Second World War, he was imprisoned again within a year. He managed to escape and return to Paris, where he discovered his ability to imitate the style of notable artists. He then began to sell reproductions of Picasso as originals, and soon began to create original work in the style of various authors, rather than reproducing existing works. In 1946 De Hory travelled with a dealer to South America, selling his fake works, and then settled in the United States, first between Los Angeles and New York and later in Miami. During these years he tried to make a living with his own original work, but found no market for it and was forced to concentrate on the fake pieces. In 1959 he returned to Paris and resumed his association with Fernand Legros, a dealer with whom he had already worked in America. In 1962 he moved permanently to Ibiza, from where he continued to send his works to Legros in exchange for a monthly salary. Some dealers and experts then began to detect his forgeries, which led to an investigation by Interpol. Eventually his dealers, Legros and Lessard, were imprisoned for fraud, while De Hory was on the run in Australia. Finally, tired, he returned to Spain, where he was convicted in 1968. However, he was never charged with forgery, mainly for lack of evidence.