Many forgers work in teams. In this case, Malskat, the artist, was employed by Dieter Fey, whose firm was commissioned to restore the frescoes in the German Cathedral of Marienkirche in Lübeck that were destroyed during WWII. When the Gothic frescoes’ restoration was unveiled in 1951, no one believed that they were forged until Fey sued himself to gain recognition for his work. He admits that there was no hope in restoring the fresco, so he started from scratch. He added in “time bombs,” which would prove the work to be his own. For example, he placed turkeys in the scene, which would not be discovered until the 13th century (after the original fresco had been finished). After they spent time in jail, Malskat’s frescoes were taken down after causing much distrust between the German people and officials. To learn more click here.
By Caroline Scarola
Source:
Hu, Rollin. “Lothar Malskat: the man who sued himself.” The Johns Hopkins News Letter 2 march 2017. https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2017/03/lothar-malskat-the-man-who-sued-himself