The Art Forger's Handbook [Hardcover]

Eric Hebborn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1997

The international art world was plunged into turmoil when it was revealed in 1980 that many drawings previously attributed to artists as varied as Brueghel, Piranesi, Pontormo, Corot, and Augustus John were in fact the work of the English artist Eric Hebborn (1934-1996). Here, in The Art Forger's Handbook, compiled shortly before his mysterious and untimely death, Hebborn unpacks the secrets of his forging techniques. 64 illustrations.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover (July 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879517670
• ISBN-13: 978-0879517670
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,541,336 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a good introduction to art forgery for fun and profit...., January 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art Forger's Handbook (Hardcover)

Hebborn certainlly knew his stuff and succeeded in selling many of his "creations" through dealers such as London's Colnagi. If you are interested in the nuts and bolts of forging old masters, this will certainly get you started. Other good, though more technical, books to look at are Gettens and Stout (and don't overlook the bibliography) and the immortal Max Doerner. There are some errors in the book, e.g., bistre and orpiment are easily found, if you know where to look. Still, Hebborn writes with rare wit and, quite often, with more humor than you will find in most deliberately humorous books. Well, are ya gonna do it? Assuming, of course, you have the skill.... That's up to you and if this book has a weak spot, it is in its cloying self-justification for doing this.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and funny, October 19, 2007

By 

AJ (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art Forgers Handbook (Mass Market Paperback)

Be warned, this book contains a lot of recipes for art materials - so if you are reading just for the anecdotes you might be a bit lost in some of the process descriptions. However, Eric has done a wonderful job of weaving wit and humor into the text; it is never dry or technical. A painter looking for recipes to create decorative fakes will find this book useful, altho I think it is far too vague to provide any information to the serious forger. It excells in the anecdotes about Erics own forgeries, the art establishment, and the nature of collectors. I found myself laughing out loud at many points - a rare accomplishment for a book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly in-depth, August 7, 2009

By 

P. Horne (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art Forgers Handbook (Mass Market Paperback)

Considering the topic of the book and the inherent controversial nature of the topic, Eric Hebborn delves deeply into the art and nature of art forgery. I paint reproductions of artworks for my own personal use but, from a technical aspect, I prefer for them to be as accurate to the original artwork as possible. I can't tell you how many times I've run into problems trying to figure out some process or pigment and have gone back to use this book as a reference manual. It covers probably 85% of what you'd probably want to know regarding this field, and I'd say the other 15% is simply up to the artist's (you) skill set and determintation.