The other day, Adrianne sent me a link to a CNN article about a German husband-and-wife duo who made millions as art forgers. It’s a fascinating article that you definitely should check out. Reading it got me thinking about another famous art forger, who I actually met.
When I was in high school, there was a restaurant/bar down the street from my house called Magnolia’s Peach. On any given night, parked in front of “The Peach”—as it was known to the locals—was either a white Lamborghini Countach or a red Ferrari 308, both of which belonged to Tony Tetro, one of the world’s greatest art forgers. I met him once because my mom’s boss at the time was a friend of his—I think mostly they just met up at The Peach for cocktails—however I remember seeing his cars going up and down Euclid Avenue quite a few times.
If you’d like to deep dive his life, which includes getting busted and going to jail (where he continued to paint), his involvement in the Prince Charles / Dumfries House art forgery scandal, or how the police were convinced he was a drug dealer, check out his book Con/Artist.
BONUS LINK: One of my favorite movies that features art and art forgery is the terrific remake of The Thomas Crown Affair with Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, and Denis Leary.