For decades Shaun Greenhalgh fooled experts from the British Museum to Christie’s. He was a self-taught artist with a wide range of skills who produced fakes in many media including watercolour painting, sculptures copied from works by Gaugin and Henry Moore, and ‘ancient’ Roman and Celtic metal ornaments. Greenhalgh developed his artistic skills through detailed research and diligent practise, mostly in his father’s garden shed. He writes that he was always moving on to something new, enjoying sculpting the most but seemingly unable to produce anything original in his own style, being a far better copyist.
It appears the entire family were involved in the deception and were described by Scotland Yard detectives as ‘possibly the most diverse forgery team in the world, ever’ (The Antiques Magpie by Marc Allum). In 2007 the author was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison (where he wrote this book) and his elderly parents received suspended sentences.
Although Greenhalgh clearly says he does not excuse what he did, nonetheless a sense of getting one over the stuck-up art establishment often comes through the writing. The police suggested that he was motivated by resentment as he was unable to sell his own original work yet he was able to, albeit secretly, show up the experts when they couldn’t recognise a fake. It has been estimated that the family made around £1 million through the sale of both legitimate copies and fakes and yet they lived a very frugal life in social housing in Bolton, NW England.
Christian House describes Greenhalgh’s authorial voice as ‘pitched midway between Arthur Daley and Philip Marlowe’ and the cover blurb asserts the author’s voice is ‘unpretentious’. I would argue it could more accurately be described as pedestrian and plodding – something Arthur Daley could never be. Although the style makes for an easy read, the book would have benefited from some severe editing. Descriptive passages on technique and ancient methods are overlong and there are very few personal psychological insights from the author. I found his preface somewhat self-serving and disingenuous.
Reviewed by Jan Kershaw
Rating out of 10: 6
Released by: Allen & Unwin
Release Date: June 2017
RRP: $32.99
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