The World's Greatest Art Forger Claims to Channel Masters, Sells 'Copies' for Thousands

David Henty claims to be the world's greatest art forger, a title he seems to wear with pride. He begins his day with meditation, believing it opens his 'third eye' and allows him to download the essence of Old Masters like Caravaggio, Picasso, and Lowry. Henty states he has painted more Lowrys than Lowry himself and finds Picasso "so quick and easy."

His process involves immersing himself in the mindset of the artist he is copying, whether it's Van Gogh's penury or Caravaggio's dramatic use of light and shadow. "I sort of imagine I'm sticking my finger in the light socket of the universe, picking up frequencies and wavelengths until I'm in a sort of 'flow state' of mind and can start downloading the great masters," Henty explains.

His home is filled with what he claims are Banksies, Rembrandts, and Vermeers, including a Mona Lisa. He even has a fake blue plaque outside his home declaring him 'The World's Number One Art Forger.' His car bears the vanity plate 'V9OGH.'

Henty's reproductions have been so convincing that they have been mistaken for the real thing by collectors, auction houses, gallerists, and forensic experts. An exhibition of his work in Brighton featured pieces attributed to Modigliani, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Picasso, and Hirst, with original values totaling approximately £1 billion. Many of these works sported red 'sold' dots, with prices for pieces like Vermeer's 'Girl With The Pearl Earring' listed at £9,000 and Picasso's 'Women Of Algiers' at £25,000, significantly lower than their original record-breaking auction prices.

His career as a forger has not been without incident. In 2016, one of his Picasso sketches, which he had inscribed "To Roland from Pablo" for a laugh, appeared at a Brighton auction for £1 million. Henty revealed his involvement, leading to the sale being withdrawn. The broker, who stood to make £400,000, allegedly threatened Henty, requiring him to hire security.

More recently, Henty warned a friend against purchasing four large Basquiat canvases that appeared for sale at £39.2 million. Henty claimed he had painted them himself the previous year on canvases bought at a car boot sale for £60, initially selling them for £5,000. He asserted that these works had somehow acquired provenance, making them appear genuine.

Henty distinguishes his current work as "copies, not forgeries," stating that his buyers are aware he painted them. He signs them "in the style of" or "after" the original artist to avoid legal trouble. His past includes a five-year prison sentence in the mid-1990s for forging thousands of fake British passports, which were misspelled. He later served time in Madrid for selling stolen cars.

Henty's upbringing in a council house near Brighton with absent parents and limited schooling involved petty theft. His father, an antiques dealer, also had a "flexible relationship with the law." Henty began by touching up pictures and forging signatures in the antiques trade.

He honed his skills in prison, studying art history and developing techniques for aging his paintings. He describes using furniture polish for patinas and even employing a chain-smoking friend to add an 18th-century patina to fake Rembrandts. He also uses tricks like embedding fibers from old aprons into the paint.

In 2014, an investigation led to him being banned from eBay, though he was not prosecuted. This exposure, however, attracted a new clientele with more substantial funds. Today, he charges around £25,000 for a Picasso, a process that might take him half a day. Henty feels no guilt about his work, viewing it as "just a bit of fun."