- Artist:
- Elmyr de Hory
- Date:
- Undated
- Technique:
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions:
- 81 x 116 cm
- Origin:
- Es Baluard Museu d'Art Contemporani de Palma
- Registration number:
- 548
Contemplating this work by Elmyr de Hory, Homenaje a Braque, initially makes spectators think they are before a painting by Georges Braque, the maximum exponent of Cubism, along with Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris. Because as well as being one of the great art forgers of history, Elmyr de Hory produced numerous pieces painted “in the manner of” the great artists, as in this case which, as the title indicates, is a tribute to Braque, a work painted in the style of the French artist. It is a still life, one of the genres present in the pictorial production of Georges Braque, formed by objects with geometric shapes which he transforms in such a way that they decompose to the point that they are hard to recognise. A bowl of fruit, accompanied by a bottle, a jug and a guitar are the objects that de Hory arranges on a table with a perspective concentrated in two planes, adapting to the Cubist formula.
Geometric shapes converted into typical still life objects that overlap with one another until it becomes difficult to distinguish where one begins and another ends. De Hory reproduces the work to perfection, capturing the essence and expressing on the canvas a composition that could be by the master himself. De Hory’s intention is to pay homage to these great masters of painting, an interpretation by the admiring artist who expresses himself in their style.
R.E.
Elmyr de Hory, whose real name was Elemér Hoffmann, is considered one of the great art forgers of history (the great masters he interpreted include Picasso, Derain, Matisse, Modigliani or Van Dongen). It is said that he managed to see numerous forged works hung up in important collections and museums around the world. His artistic production leads one to reflect on basic issues within the art system, like the concept of authorship and the essence in the artwork, making us question the concepts of truth and lie, of reality and fiction in the art world. A peculiar character, a bon vivant and a lover of luxury, he lived in Ibiza for sixteen years. Clifford Irving wrote a biographical book about the figure of de Hory and Orson Welles made F for Fake (1973), a film which also focussed on the artist’s life. At the end of his life he achieved what he had actually sought, social recognition of his talent, even though it was through the recreation of the styles of the greats, and not his own. His works, under his name, have come to form part of important collections all over the world and relevant museums and art centres have devoted exhibitions to his life and work.
R.E.
