The Art Forger Who Tricked the Nazis: The Story of Han van Meegeren

In 1947, a peculiar trial captivated the Netherlands. The defendant, Han van Meegeren, stood accused of art forgery, having counterfeited paintings worth millions. However, he wasn't pleading innocence; his very survival hinged on proving his guilt. This is the story of how van Meegeren, a man scorned by the art world, managed to deceive experts and even the Nazis with his elaborate forgeries.

From Obscurity to Infamy

Like many forgers, van Meegeren was an artist who craved recognition. His original works failed to garner acclaim, leaving him embittered. Fueled by resentment, he embarked on a mission to expose the art world's fallibility. He meticulously studied the Old Masters, immersing himself in their biographies, techniques, and materials.

The Master of Deception: Vermeer

Van Meegeren chose Johannes Vermeer, the 17th-century Baroque painter, as the target of his deception. Vermeer was celebrated for his precise and technically brilliant domestic scenes, making him a challenging subject to imitate. For six years, van Meegeren toiled in secrecy, perfecting his craft. He replicated numerous works as practice, meticulously mixing his own paints using raw materials and pigments authentic to Vermeer's era. He acquired 17th-century canvases, crafted his own brushes, and employed techniques to age the paintings, such as applying synthetic resin and baking them to create cracks.

Fooling the Experts

While forensic tests could have detected the synthetic resin, such methods were not advanced or widely used at the time. Even today, authenticating a painting often relies on the subjective judgment of art specialists and their reputations. Van Meegeren exploited this vulnerability. His research revealed that some historians believed Vermeer had an early period of religious painting influenced by Caravaggio, though no such works had ever been found. Abraham Bredius, a leading Vermeer authority, was a strong advocate of this theory.

Van Meegeren seized the opportunity and created "The Supper at Emmaus," a fake Vermeer that Bredius declared a masterpiece. Although the forgery didn't quite meet Vermeer's technical standards, these inconsistencies were rationalized as characteristics of an early work. In 1937, the painting was sold for the equivalent of over $4 million today, solidifying van Meegeren's success and emboldening him to forge and sell more works.

Deceiving the Nazis

During the Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II, Hermann Göring, a high-ranking Nazi official, sought to acquire a Vermeer for his looted art collection. Van Meegeren sold him "Christ with the Adulteress," an alleged early Vermeer painting. However, as the war turned against the Nazis, van Meegeren's luck changed as well.

From Treason to Folk Hero

After the Allied victory, van Meegeren was arrested for selling a Dutch national treasure to the Nazis, an act of treason punishable by death. To prove the painting's lack of authenticity, he revealed his forgery methods. However, Bredius, the expert who had initially authenticated the painting, defended its authenticity to protect his reputation.

With limited options, van Meegeren painted a "new" Vermeer for the court, finally convincing them of his deception. He was acquitted of collaborating with the Nazis but sentenced to a year in prison for fraud. Despite evidence suggesting collaboration, van Meegeren successfully portrayed himself as a folk hero who had outsmarted Göring, transforming his image in the public eye.

The Legacy of a Forger

Van Meegeren's newfound notoriety made his forgeries valuable in their own right, even leading to their own subsequent forgeries by his son. The same canvases went from revered classics to despised fakes and, ultimately, to works of art celebrated for the forger's skill and infamy. Han van Meegeren's story remains a fascinating tale of artistic ambition, deception, and the subjective nature of art appreciation.