Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-07-06

/ VI ropes industries are rapidly regaln1ng
their pre-war strength, but there is one
which shows tendency to languish indef-
initely. That is the business of manufacture
ing old masters to sell to American colec-
tors. 1t isns being successfully done this
season.
Since the war, so many genuine master
pieces have been placed on the market by
the impoverished nobility of Europe that
Americans have learned to be fastidious. A
painting has to have exceptional merit before
they will show any interest in it. At the
same time, such tremendous flood of fake
paintings and other art objects has been let
loose in Europe that they have learned to
be cautious. They are extremely loath to
buy unless the goods have been guaranteed
by jury Of experts.
Thus, the reports recently circulated about
Paris that Americans were buying fake Bon
ticellis by the dozen is characterized as alb
surd by New York art dealer.
eff this were So" he declared, "our firm
would have heard of it, and not one such
instance has been brought to our attention
No freshly painted Bontice1lis are being
sold anywhere. The appearance of age can
not be copied, and fakes Of such descrip-
ton could hardly be palmed off on the
sheerest novice. Until recently many copies
and fakes have been offered hero as genuine
old masters, but they were nearly all ancient
copies or old pictures wrongly attributed to
famous painters. Most of them were offered
in good faith. There market for
them here. Corots have been faxed by the
hundred, but purchasers are very rare in
this country today for art works Of dubious
value"
This is partly because Americans know
more about art than they used to- and there
fore no longer rely upon their own judgment.
Even our newly rich have heard so much
about their own supposed gullibility that
they will not make purchase without being
assured by the best possible evidence that a
picture is genuine The new millionaire class
of Europe, on the other hand, is not SO lack
ing in confidence, and it is from this domestic
source that the European dealers in fake
objects of art are now reaping their best
profits.
During the war, this was especially notice
able. Everybody who made cool million
Oh two out of war contract Immediately
went in for art. But as soon as the conflict
was over, many who had spent their money
as fast as they made it, anxious to
realize what they believed to be their
art creatures. They sent them over to this
country. Upon expert examination such COL
lections usually turned out to be of little
value, SO that the dealers were kept busy
lodging spurious works of art. For awhile
the entire trade was thrown into a panic,
and it was almost impossible to dispose of
a genuine, as no American collector art
dealer was willing to take chance.
Ola EamIlIeS deceived
To make the situation worse it was found
that paintings which were sent over here by
some of the most distinguished families of
Europe were fakes Most of these had been
in the possession of a single family for gen
erations and had been assigned by tradition
to great artists Their authenticity was so
taken for granted that they had probably
never been submitted to experts. But when
they came to be examined over here it was
discovered that many supposed Rembrandts,
Velasquezes and Titians were merely early
copies of those painters or works by contem-
poraries which had been incorrectly at
tributed to the great artists.
While this heavy bombardment of fakes
was going on, American dealers were over
in Europe attending auction sales and quiet
ly buying up some of the worlds greatest art
treasures. They had to pay enormous prices,
it is true, but they paid them for the real
thing.
"Your American collectors have learned
remarked a prominent member of a British
art society, recently. ''They are now very
astute collectors, who know precisely what
they want and can afford to pay the price.
They are vastly different from those who
used to come to buy our pictures, just to
decorate the blank spaces on their walls"
In fact, American collectors and art deal
ers have become so very cautious that they
will sacrifice real art treasures before they
will take a chance or them. One New York
art dealer, for example, will tell you with
tears in his eyes of an opportunity he missed