Why would a curator bring together Warhol, Rembrandt, de Kooning, Chagall, Matisse, and Renoir? Artistically and historically, it’s a bit of a stretch.
Nevertheless, a summer art show from July 26 to Aug. 10 at Fordham’s Center Gallery found a unifying theme: the paintings were all fakes.
In conjunction with Fordham’s 4th International Conference on Cyber Security (ICCS), artist-in-residence Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock and fellow artist Daniel Small were tasked with coming up with an idea that related to the conference, which is co-sponsored by Fordham
and the FBI.
The result was a show assembled with the FBI’s Forgery Division entitled Caveat Emptor (let the buyer beware), an exhibition of confiscated art forgeries from the FBI’s holdings, visible upon conference arrival. Art-in-America magazine called it “a unique take on the summer group show.”
“In a sense, it’s a bit like a trophy room, or a display of evidence masquerading as a straightforward exhibition of paintings,” said Apicella-Hitchcock.
Small had another way of looking at it: “It’s an anonymous group show for a bunch of artists who will never come forward,” he said.
— Tom Stoelker
Photos by Tom Stoelker, Chris Taggart, and Joe Lawton
