David Stein (art forger)

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David Stein (? - ?) was a French-born painter who become an art forger.

Stein moved to USA because prices there were higher. When he was working as a PR man for a Hollywood film Lust for Life about Vincent Van Gogh he noticed the paintings that had been made for the film.

Stein never copied a painting, but painted in the style of the master he liked. For example, he studied Marc Chagall to copy his color scheme. He also mastered the styles of Matisse, Braque, Paul Klee, Miro, Jean Cocteau and Rouault. In 1965 Stein made a painting in style of Picasso and sold it for $14,000. He may have made millions of dollars.

In 1967 one of his forgeries was noticed hanging in a New York gallery and he was arrested. Art dealers refused to cooperate with the prosecution because that would have required them to admit they had been fooled. Nevertheless, Stein was convicted of six counts of art forgery and grand larceny.

After Stein had served his prison term in the United States, he was deported to France where he served another term. Prison authorities allowed him to make further paintings, although now using his own name. In 1969 a London gallery sold some of these paintings.

After Stein was released, he returned to painting, this time selling his paintings under his own name.