Show I 1 A RT r TORS I 1 I 1 THEY HAVE BEEN TION PAINTINGS I 1 even the most competent critics impose loael upon by an Arpe american rican genius I 1 new york april 27 As the result of an inquiry which is being conducted by bYl several of the leading art collectors of this city together with their counsel a story has vee veen revealed that cannot fall fail to astound the art world of america and europe i these art collectors have reached I 1 the conclusion that for years the most competent critics and the most dis j criminating buyers of paintings have I 1 been grossly imposed upon by a well known art dealer who has systematically operated cooperated co with a painter en ell dowed with extraordinary ability not only to fenish the uncompleted works of recognized masters bu but teven even to imitate their individual style EO successfully cess fully as to suggest imitate imitative ive powers amounting to genius several collectors who now believe th they have been n imposed sed upon have put the matter in the hands of lawyers to prevent tho th successful continuation or oc such insidious fraud is the purpose of the inquiry under way aly whether liet ber tho the results may be puch as to warrant legal action is not ot yet known three great masters of american landscape palti painting ting homer martin A 11 wyant and george inness the eld or er all of whom are dead have been among those whose yorks works cuave been most persistently and most successfully imitated according to the investigators vesti gators and these distinguished names are arc said to havo have been attached to spurious paintings man many of which have been sold at high prices to purchasers i it has been estimated that counterfeit feit examples of af paintings have been disposed dIspA od of to lo tho the amount of not less than even tho the great whistler Is s said to have leon been successfully imitated and his bis immortal name forg ed cd on spurious canvasses I 1 from a psychological standpoint of this remarkable story atory is its r revelation of the amazing type of goniea possessed by tho painted whose gifts enable him to play tho iho leading liart biart in tho imposture En endowed dowel wl with th io M ottlo ability of a creative type that his admittedly original lual productions have hardly lifted him abo plane laue of lils his name namo is almost unknown in the broader world of art yet his imitative powers ve aro bo extraordinary that it is said of him however I 1 tho individual characteristics of any particular painter might bo be he hu has the iho rare power after having devoted an hour or less to the careful study of aej an painting to go to his studio and reproduce it so faithfully alike in letter and spirit as to defy detection at the hands of some of the most able critics and sometimes of the creator of the original painting himself |