Nat Tate
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Nat Tate is a fictional artist created by author William Boyd.
[edit] The Hoax
In 1998, Boyd published Nat Tate: American Artist, 1928-1960, in which the author presents the paintings and tragic biography of a supposed New York-based 1950s Abstract Expressionist painter, a man named Nat Tate, who actually never existed and was, along with his paintings, a creation of Boyd's. When the book was initially published, it was not revealed that it was a work of fiction, and some were duped by the hoax; it was launched at a lavish party, with excerpts read by David Bowie (who was in on the joke), and a number of prominent members of the art world claimed to remember the artist. It caused quite a stir once the truth was revealed.
The name Nat Tate is derived from the names of the two leading British art galleries: The National Gallery and The Tate Gallery.
Nat Tate also appears in Any Human Heart, also by Boyd, with a wry footnote to the 1998 book.
