Queen's portrait painted by master forger
Published on: 29-Oct-2007
A portrait of the Queen by convicted conman John Myatt is to be auctioned.The picture, an "experiment" parodying Van Gogh's self portrait and using the monarch's image on £10 notes as a template, is being sold to raise money for Mr Myatt's local church.
He told the Sunday Times he had 'gone straight' after being jailed in 1999 for his part in a ten-year conspiracy to defraud the art world by painting fake masterpieces and passing them off as the real deal.
"We've seen numerous portraits of the Queen, but none in the style of one of the all-time greats," he said.
It is estimated the con netted Mr Myatt and document forging accomplice John Drew, around £1 million.
Since leaving jail he has painted legitimately with some of his works commanding fees of up to £45,000.
A TV show, with Mr Myatt revealing 'the tricks of the trade' regarding art forgery, is being made and there are rumours that a Hollywood film portraying the conman's exploits is in the pipeline.
Can't find art to match your decor? You can now...
