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Mark Landis, the forger whose hoodwinking of more than 50 museums across 20 states was the subject of this year's documentary Art and Craft, reveals just how he See more artspace.com Legendary Art Forger Mark Landis Tells All The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Before you run them through the computer, You had to rely on him stopping by the museum, without an appointment. caption: data.footer.caption, When I met Landis for the first time, not only did he show the love of art but the love of his family, mainly 'mother' as he always referred. His materials including magic markers and frames from Wal-Mart are not those of a "proper" forger, says filmmaker Sam Cullman. Numerous attempts to contact Mr. Landis at phone numbers listed for him in public records and at numbers he provided to museums were unsuccessful. And, he is easily distracted by details a womans bracelet, an ornate door hinge, the authenticity of a vintage movie poster which command all his attention. He looks like he's about 70, except at the time of the film, he was 59. But when he paid a visit to the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette, La., last September, he seemed more like a character sprung from a Southern Gothic novel. He reached in the side pocket and produced a handicapped parking tag. The new buyer be it a museum or private collector, gains a rare trophy. who, over the course of 30 years, duped nearly 60 American museums into accepting his facsimiles of art works the article raised as many questions as it answered. It is a different definition of original, just as he is. There are 90+ professionals named "Mark Landis", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. Genealogy for Johannes Jacob Landis (1667 - 1730) family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. leftCredit: data.images.left.leftCredit, Mark D Landis, 52. Of course it undermines the experts privatelyuntil the fake is revealed, in which case even the capture of the forger can underscore the mind behind the scheme and make them feel a victor. I'm Mark Landis. "John Landis is a perfectionist . var options = { hide caption. We use Mark Landis with his forged copy of the Mona Lisa. Our soft spot: art and money," says one museum director featured in the documentary. He takes nothing more in return for them than an occasional lunch or a few tchotchkes from the gift shop. Often using a magnifying glass, Landis studies a print of an original work and, with meticulous attention to detail, copies exactly what he sees: religious icons, impressionist or modern works. As I moved the bag for him I asked about its contents. In the documentary, when the two finally meet, Landis asks Leininger, "Did I get the colors right? leftButtonText: data.footer.button.leftButtonText, (function($) { They would all go to museums and bring home catalogs and information about the collections. Landis' box-office triumph comes a little more than a year after the conclusion of a costly, convoluted criminal trial. Address: Room 306, Cato Center for the Arts. Associated Addresses 5001 Kingsley Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45227 4407 State Route 37 W # 37, Delaware, OH 43015 4407 State Route 37 W, Delaware, OH 43015Show More (+) Associated Phone Numbers (740) 363-3284 (740) 362-7178 (740) 363-5070 (419) 674-4225 (740) 363-4012 For the documentary filmmakers, that gave the story some great tension, says Cullman. You get these boards at Career He donated a painting said to be by Charles Courtney Curran, under the pretext of the loss of his mother. Landis knew exactly what museums wanted to hear: "He knew right where to hit us. beforeAfterContainer.BeforeAfter(options); After donating a painting to a museum, he showed his mother a letter of appreciation from the museum, which impressed his mother and thus fueled his actions even more. Diagnosed as schizophrenic and living more or less hermetically since his mother died in 2010, the soft-spoken Landis is engaging if remorseless about his deception, and more than happy to. Article topics. . cdispatch.com 2023 The Commerical Dispatch, Mark Landis of Laurel gives a short introduction to Art and Craft, a documentary about his life as an art forger. Among famous art forgers, he's in a class by himself, says Colette Loll, an art fraud investigator. Life and career [ edit] Mark Landis was born in Norfolk, Virginia. paintings for five-something. With his odd demeanor and near encyclopedic knowledge of art history, Landis could easily come across as an eccentric art collector, says Sam Cullman, co-director of Art & Craft. A Father James Brantley had donated several pictures to the university, including a drawing attributed to Edith Head, as well as promising a $100,000 donation to endow the collection. (function($) { He was the registrar at the Oklahoma City Museum in 2007 when Landis offered to donate works of art there. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. He has a master's degree in fine art, as a printmaker, and he is a knowledgeable follower of Nascar, which his wife introduced him to while they were courting. I dont think his mother had even a clue that this was going on, he added. He's a shut-in who craves interaction. Above, Landis heads in to one of his "philanthropic" visits. We recommend . He got a kick out of giving away the paintings for free and leading art collectors to believe he was a philanthropist. Mark Landis (1955-) From the age of 17, Landis suffered from schizophrenia, a mental disorder that distorts perceptions of reality, affecting how an individual thinks, behaves, and acts. Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The painting, unframed and wrapped in cellophane, looked like the real thing, with a faded label on the verso from a long-defunct gallery in Manhattan. The principal had become suspicious and contacted me as I had become the authority for all things Landis. For an optimal experience visit our site on . offers FT membership to read for free. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to Later, Landis learns about Trina's past and turns her in to the authorities, planning to clear her name. Mark Landis visited the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette, Louisiana, dressed as Father Arthur Scott and claiming he wished to donate a painting in honor of his deceased mother. Since Landis was donating his copies to museums, he wasn't doing anything illegal. [1] The best four summaries of the case appear in The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/arts/design/12fraud.html?pagewanted=all), The Art Newspaper (http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/%E2%80%9CJesuit-priest-donates-fraudulent-works/21787), the Financial Times (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/5905c640-2359-11e0-8389-00144feab49a.html#axzz1iaLh3QxA), and Maxim (http://www.maxim.com/amg/STUFF/Articles/Art+Forger+Mark+Landis), and it is largely on these articles that this section is drawn. organisation })(jQuery || NYTD.jQuery); Jos Clemente Orozco, Estudio De Tres Mujeres Desnudas Offered to: The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, Art Museum of the Americas, This is an easy one. Hi everyone. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the Settings & Account section. But after nearly 30 years of giving his fakes to museums, he finally got caught. Landis did not respond, but the Father James Brantley sightings abruptly ceased until February of 2012, when he came out under his fourth alias, Marc Lanois. For three decades Landis created museum-quality forgeries of artworks and donated them to institutions around the country. var options = { startPoint: data.images.startPoint, (function($) { Mark Landis of Laurel gives a short introduction to "Art and Craft," a documentary about his life as an art forger. var data = chameleonData[0]; Landis had trained at the . But on the twenty fifth of July 2011 I received an email from the principal of Cabrini High School in New Orleans. Mr. Landis often under his own name, though more recently as Father Scott or as a collector named Steven Gardiner has indeed done a lot of traveling over the past two decades, but not for the church. According to Gapper, the manager shared Landis lived with his mother in an apartment. Kel Landis III died . Mark Edward Landis, 43 of Bloomington, MN, passed away Sunday, March 20th, 2022 suddenly after a long battle with several heart issues. If you read Jan Swoopes Lifestyles cover story in last Sundays paper, the name will be familiar. or But this small, stoop-shouldered, bald-headed man who barely moves his mouth when he speaks has copied works . of Art, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Lepine I liked because its nice and small. Landis has earned his net worth through his work on many films, music videos, and. The collective wishful thinking of the art world unconsciously conspires to affirm the authenticity of newly-discovered works. The director asked the museum registrar to verify the painting. As one museum director explains in the documentary, Landis would imply he had more paintings he might donate "and possible endowments from the family's estate." through it. leftButtonText: data.footer.button.leftButtonText, Mark Landis is a small, soft-spoken, 59-year old man living in small-town Mississippi. You use colored pencils. rightImage: data.images.right.rightImage, rightImage: data.images.right.rightImage, OBITUARIES. Diagnosed as schizophrenic and living more or less hermetically since his mother But Mr. Wittman has been unable to find him. Father: Hans Heinrich Landis b: ABT 1620 Mother: Barbara Bueler b: ABT 1620. startPoint: data.images.startPoint, Mark Landis, in the guise of Father Scott among others, has spent decades creating forgeries and gifting them to museums. SEND FLOWERS. Id believe it myself until I was on my way home.. Art and Craft. The American authorities then tell Joe that "Kamikazi," his Japanese pilot, is an American agent who has learned that Kimura plans to smuggle Japanese war criminals back into the country to organize an anti-American Communist movement. Thus, many believe the need for validation and attention drove his drive to deceive. FAUX Real or should I say FOR Real? caption: data.footer.caption, showButton: data.footer.button.showButton, A funny, fascinating, too-good-to-be-true documentary about Mark Landis, one of the world's most prolific art forgers, who for over 30 years has duped museums across the country--until one determined registrar sets out to stop him. and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, Next Page. We support credit card, debit card and PayPal payments. [1] He is best known for "donating" large numbers of forged paintings and drawings to American art museums. (560) 1 h 29 min 2014 18+. leftCredit: data.images.left.leftCredit, university where he continues to make his forgeries he calls them his arts and crafts often while watching television. After completing his AA degree at Normandale College, he worked in security, started his own business, Phoenix Taxi, and . Art and Craft, a documentary on Landis artistic exploits was released in the fall of 2014 (Google Art and Craft trailer for a preview). Museums rely on gifts to fill their walls since many museums have little funds for acquisitionsmost of the Baroque art at Londons National Gallery, for instance, is owned by Sir Dennis Mahon, and the works are displayed on loan thanks to his beneficence. Howard Kelly Landis III passed away peacefully at his home on January 2, 2021 following a heroic two-year battle with cancer. Born March 1st, 1955 in East St. Louis, IL. When I was 8 or 9, I noticed that I could put a piece of paper over one of the museum catalogs, even if I couldnt see He admits he has always had a mischievous streak. The museum director admits: "He knew right where to hit us. showFooter: data.footer.showFooter, That was not a concern to me. As Landis puts it in the film, for him, "Copying is reassuring." But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. His father was a naval officer in NATO and his parents liked to travel. Sam Cullman/Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. When youre doing one of those ", Landis was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 17. leftButtonText: data.footer.button.leftButtonText, Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. Mark Landis is a freelance writer for The. Search. Since it was unframed, Father Scott (Landis) offered to pay for the frame, and also suggested that he might consider donating more paintings from his familys collection. But he accepted no money for these gifts, not even a tax break. In September 2010, Mark Landis went to the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, under the identity of a jesuit priest, Father Arthur Scott. He maintains a database of all known contacts with Mr. Landis, sightings of him and works he has copied. Landis was self-depreciating, brutally honest and frequently hilarious. That same month The Art Newspaper broke the story about Landis and his scheme, after having contacted me knowing I had been tracking Landis, also ran a photograph of him. analyse how our Sites are used. Mark Edward Landis, 43 of Bloomington, MN, passed away Sunday, March 20th, 2022 suddenly after a long battle with several heart issues. var data = chameleonData[0]; Arthur Landis, Jr. and even closer his late mother Jonita Joyce Brantley as she did remarry when Landis' father passed. I hung the handicapped tag on the mirror and we went inside. Since the release of the film, that has changed: Hes been to New York for a screening; a touring exhibit of his forgeries has been organized and hes invited to appear at screenings of the movie, as was the case Thursday evening at the Rosenzweig Arts Center. Hes also made copies of letters from John Hancock and Abraham Lincoln. He'll correct you if you call him an artist because his art, like his life, is not what it first appears to be. He told the audience at the Omnova Theater Thursday evening he had nothing with making the movie, but Woody Allen liked it, so I hope you all do as well. Photo by: Luisa Porter/ Dispatch Staff. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Frankly, there are only two things we know for sure about Landis' birth. Landis is a paradox. Anyone can read what you share. Obituary. Landis went quiet after the publication of The Art Newspaper article in 2010. Landis's career as an art forger began in the mid-1980s, when he gave some pictures to a California museum, saying they were by the American 20th Century artist Maynard Dixon. In the weeks since an article in The Art Newspaper first revealed the scope of the forgeries, museums and their lawyers have been trying to locate Mr. Landis, who was never easy to find in the first place because he often provided bogus addresses and phone numbers. Landis is a paradox. Also known as Mark A Lindis, Mark A Andis, Mary Landis. The works Landis created were good enough stylistically to fool a person at first glance. The filmmakers tag along as he performs some of his stunts. The most recent tenant is Bradly Gates. A painting Mark A. Landis donated to Hilliard University Art Museum as a Charles Courtney Curran. Leininger did his due diligence and found out that other museums had some of the same works. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 65 years old? I still cultivate a dossier of Landis contacts, sightings, and forged works. The next is from 1987 when a work of his, a supposed watercolor by Marie Laurencin was given to the New Orleans Museum of Art. beforeAfterContainer.BeforeAfter(options); But when the Hilliards director of development chatted with Father Scott about the church and his acquaintances in deeply Roman Catholic southern Louisiana, the man grew nervous. Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. It never occurred to me that other people couldnt do that.. and I do not know his wealth or how he could make his travels over the years. Early he had shown me a canvas tote bag someone made for him with Marco the Magician (I was a failed magician before I was a failed artist, he explained) screened on one side and Art and Craft on the other. But money was not a factor in the scheme of Mark Landis, aka Steven Gardiner, aka Father Arthur Scott, aka Father James Brantley and aka Marc Lanois, when he showed up at Loyola University in New Orleans in February of 2012. var data = chameleonData[0]; Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. It seemed that a Father James Brantley, who looked remarkably like Landis, had donated an oil-on-copper painting, Holy Family with Saint Anne ostensibly by 16th century painter Hans van Aachen. What if it is deemed an original? His, or should I say mothers, red Cadillac was parked outside, and Gapper heard music coming from inside the apartment. I was contacted by a curator in Muncie, Indiana, where she told me that the forger was now operating as Marc Lanois, and had gifted another forgery to Loyola University in New Orleans. He was never legally caught since he gave only fake addresses and names with people in society believing Landis said he was who he was and the gifts were authentic. Cadillac that had belonged to his mother, Jonita Joyce Brantley, formerly of Laurel, Miss., he introduced himself as Father Arthur Scott. A Wikipedia entry reports Landis has shared his output with more than 60 museums in 20 states. Past residents include Erika Buckner, James Dunigan, Mark Boonstra, Andrew Landis and Sheilakai Simmons. Meet Mark Landis, the Philanthropist Art Forger Who Duped More Than 60 Museums by Doris 8 years ago 2k Views Give a voice to the voiceless! On the advice of lawyers, it did not explicitly warn other museums about its discoveries, Mr. Bassi said, but it tried to let them know to be wary of donations from a Mark Landis. Later after reviewing his mothers obituary from April 2010, I found that James Brantley was the name of Mark Landis step-father, and all signs suggested that the painting was a forgery. Many recognized him from Jans story, including Elayne and her husband, Pete. John Gapper, writing for Financial Times, located Landis shortly after The New York Times reported that Landis seems to have disappeared altogether.Gapper simply drove to the gated community where Landis mother had lived and asked the estate manager where to find Landis. Website designed and maintained by IA&As Design Studio. It was signed by Thomas Jefferson. Arthur Landis, Jr. and even closer his late mother Jonita Joyce Brantley as she did remarry when Landis father passed. Landis was very close to his dad Lt. Cmdr. Leininger lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and uses his acquired knowledge of fakes and to help stop other forgers. Landis knew exactly what museums wanted to hear: "He knew right where to hit us. (i1717) b: 1697 Barbara Landis . I remember the day I began tracking Landis and informing my peers on August 7, 2008. Jan 7, 2021. Leininger spent five years tracking Landis, and shared his findings with the public in 2010, resulting in media attention from The Art Newspaper, The Guardian (London), The New York Times, Financial Times, Maxim, CBS Sunday Morning, in addition to other international social media outlets and publications. The Hilliard University Art Museum discovered that they had been given a fake within hours when examining the painting under a microscope and ultraviolet light. And she was such a sweet lady, and that made it that much harder for us to talk to people about this and tell them what we thought he was doing.. startPoint: data.images.startPoint, His real name is Mark A. Landis, and he is a lifelong painter and former gallery owner. NEWSPAPERS. "He remembers not only names and titles and actors but lines from all of these movies which do make their way into his vernacular.". Landis is an only child. ---. Earlier this month, Loll, the filmmakers and Landis attended a screening of Art & Craft at a conference for mental health professionals and families affected by mental illness. "[Mother and Dad] liked to go out, and I'd be left alone in the hotel room," Landis says. Sam Cullman/Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories Landis' mom learned that her son would have no hands and feet from an ultrasound picture taken when she was about eight months pregnant. died in 2010, the soft-spoken Landis is engaging if remorseless about his deception, and more than happy to demonstrate for the directors the crude yet ingenious ways he sets about copying works of art. I flipped back and forth and would remember it just long enough to get it down. Marriage 1 Ann Witmer b: NOV 1671 Children John Landis , (i1717) b: 1696 Benjamin Landis , Rev. After a short driving tour of Columbus, as we were looking for a parking spot near the arts center, I asked Landis if he (I was driving his car) had a handicap sticker. showFooter: data.footer.showFooter, All rights reserved. Can Shell close the valuation gap with US rivals? The first donation Mr. Leininger has been able to find was to the New Orleans Museum of Art in 1987. showButton: data.footer.button.showButton, His skills with a pencil or paintbrush are undeniable. leftImage: data.images.left.leftImage, Mark Landis has been a member of Actors' Equity Association since 1978, and his work in the professional theatre took him to a number of different parts of the U.S. where he worked as an actor, a director, and a stage manager. Mark is 59 years old. He was a diffident, artistic child who was diagnosed at age 17 with schizophrenia and institutionalized for eighteen months. Mark Augustus Landis (born 1955) is an American painter who lives in Laurel, Mississippi. This is how he does it, no and I dont mean making the forgeries but making others believe what they are gifted is authentic. By creating a work of your own which exhibits your artistic skill to have it mistaken for the work of an acknowledged master, the revenge is two-fold. } The real Landis is living on disability. His impressive body of work spans thirty years, covering a wide range of painting styles and periods that includes 15th Century Icons, Picasso, and even Walt Disney. In fact, Landis considers himself a "philanthropist." Matthew C. Leininger, a museum professional with over 15 years of experience as a registrar, singlehandedly investigated and solved the strange case of Mark Augustus Landisuncovering his art forgeries, multiple identities, and national donations of fake masterpieces. I dont think well get into trouble.. var data = chameleonData[0]; During a tour of the department Landis told Gibson though his sister had never gone to The W, she thought highly of the school. His house in Laurel, Miss., is extremely cluttered, but his scams are well-organized. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. On any fair-weather weekend, many of Southern California's mountain trails are busy, and the biggest challenge today, could be finding a parking space! View the profiles of professionals named "Mark Landis" on LinkedIn. (The Hilliard said it discovered the forgery within hours, using a microscope to find a printed template beneath the paint.).