Han van Meegeren orchestrated one of the most calculated artistic deceptions of the twentieth century, successfully passing his own creations off as long-lost masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age. By blending chemical innovation with technical skill, he systematically humiliated the critics who dismissed his original work, eventually ensnaring both high-ranking officials and prestigious institutions in his elaborate fraud.
Early Influences and Academic Training
Born in Deventer in 1889, Han van Meegeren attended the Higher Burger School where he encountered the painter Bartus Korteling. Korteling mentored him in the techniques of Johannes Vermeer while promoting a staunch rejection of modern artistic trends. Though his father pressured him to study architecture at the Delft University of Technology starting in 1907, Van Meegeren focused heavily on painting. By 1913, he abandoned his engineering studies to pursue formal art education in The Hague, winning a prestigious Gold Medal for his depiction of the Laurenskerk interior.
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Following his move to Scheveningen in 1914, Van Meegeren sought to supplement his modest income through commercial work, including posters and portraiture. Despite gaining recognition for pieces like the 1921 painting Hertje, his reputation suffered as critics attacked his lack of originality. These professional rejections fueled a resentment that pushed him toward counterfeiting. By 1923, he began producing works in the style of Frans Hals, moving eventually to France to perfect the chemical processes required to mimic 17th-century textures.
The Nazi Connection and Exposure
During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Van Meegeren sold a forged Vermeer to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring. Post-war investigators initially arrested him for selling cultural property to the enemy, a crime carrying a potential death sentence. To escape this, he confessed to the forgeries. The subsequent revelation that experts and officials had been duped turned him into a sensation. He was sentenced to one year in prison but died in Amsterdam in 1947 before completing the term.
Fast facts
- Born: 1889, Deventer
- Died: 1947, Amsterdam
- Citizenship: Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Notable Works: The foot washing, Woman reading music, Cisterspelende vrouw
- Education: Delft University of Technology
- Occupations: Painter, restorer, art forger
- Burial site: Deventer
Questions readers ask
What motivated Van Meegeren to forge paintings?
He sought to prove his talent to art critics who had dismissed his original works as lacking in originality.
What happened after his trial?
He was sentenced to one year in prison for his role in the forgeries but suffered two heart attacks and died shortly after his conviction.
Achievements
- Notable work: The foot washing
- Notable work: Woman reading music
- Notable work: Cisterspelende vrouw
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