Mark Edward Landis, 43 of Bloomington, MN, passed away Sunday, March 20th, 2022 suddenly after a long battle with several heart issues. Mark Landis is somewhat of a chameleon. When youre doing one of those His real name is Mark A. Landis, and he is a lifelong painter and former gallery owner. His, or should I say mothers, red Cadillac was parked outside, and Gapper heard music coming from inside the apartment. But now he seems to have disappeared altogether. Ever since being conned by Landis that day in 2007, he's been obsessed with tracking the forger down. Above, Landis heads in to one of his "philanthropic" visits. [2] The Art Newspaper was the first of many media outlets to contact me about this case. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Home Opinions Local Columns Birney Imes: The curious case of Mark Landis, Things are seldom as they seem; skim milk masquerades as cream., Mark Landis quoting Gilbert and Sullivan. Any changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel. rightImage: data.images.right.rightImage, He is believed to have given over 100 forgeries, according to the New York Times . Birney Imes: The curious case of Mark Landis. startPoint: data.images.startPoint, Landis is a paradox. showFooter: data.footer.showFooter, Take Mark Landis, for example. He has a master's degree in fine art, as a printmaker, and he is a knowledgeable follower of Nascar, which his wife introduced him to while they were courting. Landis moved to Laurel in 1988 to be with his mother. The first work I examined in August of 2008 was a watercolor by Paul Signac, in which the same piece was released to the press, as a gift from Mark Landis, to the Savannah College of Art and Design. organisation He's compiled a four-inch-thick dossier that includes photos of framed fakes hanging in. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. })(jQuery || NYTD.jQuery); Stuart Davis, Houses Along A Canal (c. 1914-18) Offered to: Mississippi Museum of Art, The picture looks like it was done by a 6-year-old, so it took no particular effort. var options = { His impressive body of work spans thirty years, covering a wide range of painting styles and periods that includes 15th Century Icons, Picasso, and even Walt Disney. But the fact is he gave it to the museum for free.". The original is titled 'A Portrait de Lora.' (Image credit: Dottie Stover, University of Cincinnati) var beforeAfterContainer = $('#nytmm_beforeAfter_wrapper587 .nytmm_beforeAfter_container'); She Was An Enigma. He was a diffident, artistic child who was diagnosed at age 17 with schizophrenia and institutionalized for eighteen months. Landis is an internationally-known art forger who fooled multiple museums across the U.S., the story of which is told in the 2014 documentary "Art and Craft.". The real Landis is living on disability. Hes also made copies of letters from John Hancock and Abraham Lincoln. The museum director admits: "He knew right where to hit us. Sam Cullman/Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories Mark Landis craves artistic expression and finds strength in the validation he receives from it. He now works with nationally respected NAVIS Pack and Ship. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. startPoint: data.images.startPoint, Landis was diagnosed with schizophrenia at age 17. startPoint: data.images.startPoint, Hes a pistol., But I really doubt that theres going to be any will or funding to pursue action against him, which is kind of sad, he added. He's a shut-in who craves interaction. Im awful sorry if I caused them any trouble.[4]. Jordan Kushins. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. His last known attempt to pass off a forgery occurred in mid-November, when he presented himself, again as Father Arthur Scott, at the Ackland Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, bearing a French Academic drawing. Mark Landis, in the guise of Father Scott, among others, has spent decades creating forgeries and gifting them to museums. And Mark Landis has been called one of the most prolific art forgers in US history. And I think over time we learned that, while they may have opposing roles, they shared an obsession. Robert K. Wittman, a former F.B.I. He speaks softly, sometimes in incomplete thoughts. Art & Craft includes an interview with Robert Wittman, who founded the FBI's Art Crime Team. [2] http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/%E2%80%9CJesuit-priest-donates-fraudulent-works/21787 accessed 5 January 2012. Her doctor couldn't pinpoint a cause. Mark Landis visited the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette, Louisiana, dressed as Father Arthur Scott and claiming he wished to donate a painting in honor of his deceased mother. The painting, unframed and wrapped in cellophane, looked like the real thing, with a faded label on the verso from a long-defunct gallery in Manhattan. [1] He was carrying a painting that he intended to gift to the museum in memory of his mother, whom he told the staff was Helen Mitchell Scott, who he said was a Louisiana native. But Mark Landis never asked for money so he never went to jail. Since it was unframed, Father Scott (Landis) offered to pay for the frame, and also suggested that he might consider donating more paintings from his familys collection. Mr. Once you select Rent you'll have 14 days to start watching the movie and 48 hours to finish it. Landis' mom learned that her son would have no hands and feet from an ultrasound picture taken when she was about eight months pregnant. In September 2010, Mark Landis went to the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, under the identity of a jesuit priest, Father Arthur Scott. Leininger earned a BA from Wright State University and an MFA in Printmaking from Ohio University, becoming the Curatorial Department Head at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and then Chief Registrar at the Cincinnati Art Museum. He fought the disease much like he lived his life - with determination and persistence, strength, grace and humility. MEMORIALS. Christie Chu, October 1, 2014. The obituary was featured in News-Leader on January 31, 2011. Jonita Landis,. Marriage 1 Ann Witmer b: NOV 1671 Children John Landis , (i1717) b: 1696 Benjamin Landis , Rev. But his activities have nonetheless cost museums, which have had to pay for analysis of the works, for research to figure out if more of his fakes are hiding in their collections and for legal advice. ), He also seems unaware of his own artistic gifts. Art and Craft. (function($) { You can churn out three by the time a movies over on TCM.. rightButtonText: data.footer.button.rightButtonText John Gapper, writing for Financial Times, located Landis shortly after The New York Times reported that Landis seems to have disappeared altogether.Gapper simply drove to the gated community where Landis mother had lived and asked the estate manager where to find Landis. He said, Well, I travel a lot, Mr. Tullos recalled. Landis grew up in Europe in the 1960s. When I met Landis for the first time, not only did he show the love of art but the love of his family, mainly mother as he always referred. var options = { I go and solve problems for the church.. "I mean, these are no small potatoes," Leininger says in the film. Harrods chief shrugs off recession fears because rich get richer, Argentina diary: Come armed with $100 bills, FCA regulator blamed for Arms decision to shun London listing, There are no domestic equity investors: why companies are fleeing Londons stock market, The stark challenge facing the London stock market, Humanity is sleepwalking into a neurotech disaster, The Murdaugh trial: a southern gothic tale that gripped the nation, Who to fire? The art community, its scholars, collectors, curators, and salesmen, have proven themselves a forgers best ally and worst enemy as the professionals do not want to admit they have been duped. Mark Landis, in the guise of Father Scott among others, has spent decades creating forgeries and gifting them to museums. Our soft spot: art and money.". The family lived in London, Paris and Brussels, and Mark, an only child, attended St Mary's Town and Country School, a progressive school in Swiss Cottage, for two years. "John Landis is a perfectionist . Mark is 59 years old. (The Hilliard said it discovered the forgery within hours, using a microscope to find a printed template beneath the paint.). through it. Designated as P-22 by wildlife officials, the cat. caption: data.footer.caption, Landis knew exactly what museums wanted to hear: "He knew right where to hit us. They would all go to museums and bring home catalogs and information about the collections. leftButtonText: data.footer.button.leftButtonText, I have been tracking Landis ever since 2008, when Landis (using his own name) offered to give several artworks to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, where I worked at the time as Curatorial Department Head. Mark Landis passed away in Camdenton, Missouri. "[Mother and Dad] liked to go out, and I'd be left alone in the hotel room," Landis says. That was not a concern to me. Mark Landis No Crime Committed For thirty years, Mark Landis (b. It bore a weathered label of a defunct New York art gallery on the verso. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Self. Before you run them through the computer, For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here. The quality of his reproductions has been good enough to fool dozens of museums, including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. rightCredit: data.images.right.rightCredit, It looks like a million dollars. 2. They look the same, you know?. beforeAfterContainer.BeforeAfter(options); Mark Landis (1955-) From the age of 17, Landis suffered from schizophrenia, a mental disorder that distorts perceptions of reality, affecting how an individual thinks, behaves, and acts. Numerous attempts to contact Mr. Landis at phone numbers listed for him in public records and at numbers he provided to museums were unsuccessful. He's thin, pale and bald and looks a little like Truman Capote. Mark Edward Landis, 43 of Bloomington, MN, passed away Sunday, March 20th, 2022 suddenly after a long battle with several heart issues. It is the confidence of gifting his forgeries gaining no financial advantage in addition to playing on the reliance of museums on donations that makes the trick so successful. He speaks in a soft, halting, almost childlike tone. var options = { Landis was self-depreciating, brutally honest and frequently hilarious. university John Landis may be recognized for his comedies like The Blues Brothers and National Lampoon's Animal House, but the director is also respected in the horror genre thanks to An American Werewolf in London. Mark Landis, the forger whose hoodwinking of more than 50 museums across 20 states was the subject of this year's documentary Art and Craft, reveals just how he See more artspace.com Legendary Art Forger Mark Landis Tells All ", Cullman believes it was an obsession not only for art and forgeries, but also for finding a "place for themselves in the world." And then it looks fine. A Wikipedia entry reports Landis has shared his output with more than 60 museums in 20 states. rightImage: data.images.right.rightImage, We use var beforeAfterContainer = $('#nytmm_beforeAfter_wrapper913 .nytmm_beforeAfter_container'); NEWSPAPERS. She passed away from after battling a 2 year fight with cancer. Everyone benefits. Matt was the guy trying to bring justice to the world. Well, after tax its around six dollars.. (He tends to favor lesser-known artists but occasionally tries his hand at a Picasso, a Watteau or a Daumier.) Or half a million, I suppose., A scene from the documentary film, Art and Craft., Milan Fashion Week: Dsquared Spring/Summer 2015. Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. rightImage: data.images.right.rightImage, In 2008, a registrar caught on to his act and exposed him to the museum community. Landis's career as an art forger began in the mid-1980s, when he gave some pictures to a California museum, saying they were by the American 20th Century artist Maynard Dixon. Because weve not seen it before, we are not sure how to react and acceptance varies, sometimes to the extreme. and my mother was gone," Landis recounts of his life prior to Art and Craft. A Mark Landis forgery of an original painting by Pablo Picasso. "They didn't have TVs in the hotel rooms yet. Although what he was doing was wrong, Loll believes the process helped him manage his mental illness by giving him a sense of purpose, and by "feeding his desire for acceptance and friendship and camaraderie and simply to be liked and respected.". When I met Landis for the first time, not only did he show the love of art but the love of his family, mainly 'mother' as he always referred. He has been plying art museums with fakes since the mid-1980s, giving imitations to dozens of U.S. institutions, from Washington to San Francisco. His only prize was personal enjoyment in being catered to by the art world, that his own works were being accepted into established collections and lauded as originals, gifted in his parents memories. The painting was by American Impressionist Charles Courtney Curran. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The interesting thing with the now fourth alias at Loyola, is that Landis had presented himself as Landis at Loyola ten years earlier, and had gifted the institution ten forgeries: all paintings that he had created, and which he passed off as valuable originals. Under his first alias, Steven Gardiner, he gifted in honor of his mother Joan Greene Gardiner a drawing supposedly by Jean-Antoine Watteau, as well as the same Curran forgery to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in 2009. As I moved the bag for him I asked about its contents. Landis, who lived with his mother in Laurel until she died in 2010, characterizes himself as a lonely old shut-in.. showFooter: data.footer.showFooter, Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. })(jQuery || NYTD.jQuery); Jean Antoine Watteau, A Woman Lying On A Chaise Longue (c. 1719) Offered to: Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, LSU Museum of Art, What I do with things like this is, I do one that I can think of as a master. Art and Craft has brought his way even if he long ago stopped being able to fool the countrys top museums. If you read Jan Swoopes Lifestyles cover story in last Sundays paper, the name will be familiar. 1955) approached dozens of museums and university galleries claiming to be a wealthy philanthropist with a collection he wished to donate in honor of his deceased parents. startPoint: data.images.startPoint, His conversation is peppered with quotes from old TV shows and movies. Premium access for businesses and educational institutions. He crafted meticulous back-stories for his own alter egos, and for the works that supposedly came from his collection. He ended the meeting with a request; See if you can smooth things over for me. Public records show about 34 people have taken residence at 6 View Dr 104 Fairfield OH 45014. In Landis case, we do not know the origin of his unusual habit of donating forgeries. He admits he has always had a mischievous streak. You might call Matt Leininger the story's Sherlock Holmes. Thats just the reality. George Bassi, the director of the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Miss., where Mr. Landis, 55, has lived off and on for years, said he first encountered him eight years ago, after Mr. Landis moved back to the South from San Francisco, where he is believed to have owned a small art gallery. Its the most bizarre thing Ive ever come across, said Matthew Leininger, the director of museum services at the Cincinnati Art Museum, who first met Mr. Landis in 2007 when Mr. Leininger was the registrar at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and Mr. Landis offered to donate several works under his own name. Mark Landis is a freelance writer for The. His goal was only to gift his creations in his parents honor and institutions accepted the work into their collections. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. showFooter: data.footer.showFooter, A funny fascinating too-good-to-be-true documentary about Mark Landis one of the world's most prolific art forgers who for over 30 years has duped museums across the country--until one determined registrar sets out to stop him. That's a fraud. A Rocky Mount native who was a former regional bank chief executive officer and a onetime economic adviser to a North Carolina governor is dead at the age of 64. Art and Craft is a new feature documentary about art forger Mark Landis who is arguably one of the most prolific art forgers in U.S. history, having tricked over 60 museums in 20 states into believing his masterfully created replicas are authentic artworks.The catch: so far, it appears Landis, who has been diagnosed as schizophrenic, has yet to commit a crime. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 65 years old? One Landis version of an Alfred Jacob Miller painting made it into "six or seven museums.". But then you could never contact him. leftButtonText: data.footer.button.leftButtonText, An Emmy and Oscar-nominated film company has interviewed Leininger for an exclusive documentary regarding the case. beforeAfterContainer.BeforeAfter(options); Father: Hans Heinrich Landis b: ABT 1620 Mother: Barbara Bueler b: ABT 1620. Landis himself stated to me that his rationale for perpetrating this unusual scheme was that Everyone likes to be treated nice.. Later after reviewing his mothers obituary from April 2010, I found that James Brantley was the name of Mark Landis step-father, and all signs suggested that the painting was a forgery. personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to For nearly 30 years, art forger Mark Landis duped dozens of museums into accepting fakes into their collections. Demure, slight in stature, always ready with a quip from a classic film or old adage Mark has an impish charm that is somehow instinctive and deliberate at the same time. } While some examine donations as a matter of course, others did so only after growing suspicious of Mr. Landis. Landis, now in his fifties, is a painter and former supposed gallery owner, and a most unusual type of personone who has yet to break a law, and as I mentioned, gained financially. On May 29, 1987, Landis, Wingo and three co-defendants--associate producer . For cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the Settings & Account section. He reached in the side pocket and produced a handicapped parking tag. Often using a magnifying glass, Landis studies a print of an original work and, with meticulous attention to detail, copies exactly what he sees: religious icons, impressionist or modern works. We Recommend Home Town: The Church House 50 Photos Home Town: The Colors of Hope 41 Photos All rights reserved. Landis, a 59-year-old living in Laurel, Mississippi, doesn't cut a compelling figure. Mark D Landis, 52. I dont think well get into trouble.. Roni Landis, age 60, died at Monaco Parkway Health and Rehabilitation on September 17th, 2015. Landis works on a "Picasso" at his home. Mark Landis is a small, soft-spoken, 59-year old man living in small-town Mississippi. at right). These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Sam Cullman/Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories Try full digital access and see why over 1 million readers subscribe to the FT, Purchase a Trial subscription for $1 for 4 weeks, You will be billed $69 per month after the trial ends, Russian far-right fighter claims border stunt exposes Putins weakness, Feds Daly says US rates likely to be higher for longer, Something is boiling: Turkish football fans tackle Erdoan, Three-day weekends and more time for love: Chinas elite dream up policies for Xi, Germany and Italy stall EU ban on combustion engines, Saudi owner of Londons most expensive house sued over alleged unpaid private jet bills, Why the Jeffrey Epstein scandal continues to haunt JPMorgan and Barclays, US electric vehicle batteries poised for new lithium iron age. showButton: data.footer.button.showButton, Mark Landis is still out there having successfully perpetrated a very bizarre forgery scheme for over thirty years with no financial gain. But when he paid a visit to the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum in Lafayette, La., last. He was finally figured out in 2008, but was never arrested since he never accepted payment for his paintings. His lack of concern with details shows his disinterest in the lasting effect of his fraud. rightButtonText: data.footer.button.rightButtonText Leininger lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and uses his acquired knowledge of fakes and to help stop other forgers. According to John Gapper, who investigated Landis for the Financial Times article, Landis explained his preferred method as follows: he would go to Home Depot, spend approximately $6 on three boards cut to the desired size, and paste digital reproductions of the works he planned to copy onto the boards. Born March 1st, 1955 in East St. Louis, IL. var beforeAfterContainer = $('#nytmm_beforeAfter_wrapper347 .nytmm_beforeAfter_container'); His father was a naval officer in NATO and his parents liked to travel. It would shatter the delicate reliance museums have on donors and supporters if they were to look too closely and, heaven forbid, discover something wrong with the gift offered and accepted. Landis did not respond, but the Father James Brantley sightings abruptly ceased until February of 2012, when he came out under his fourth alias, Marc Lanois. var options = { They include "magic markers and pens and Wal-Mart frames raw materials that proper forgers might not use," says Cullman. } I've copied works by artists like Picasso and Walt Disney and, posing as a philanthropist (or sometimes an executor of a will or a Jesuit priest), donated them to institutions such as the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, the Art Institute of Chicago, and others. Sam Cullman/Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories Then Landis promises more gifts of art and money to care for the collections but will get in touch when he recovers from heart surgery. Now his paintings and drawings are in a touring exhibition called Intent to Deceive, and he's the subject of a new documentary called Art & Craft. A pair of young filmmakers, Sam Cullman and Jennifer Grausman, decided to find out. lot of glamorous, sophisticated people, he said while sitting with Cullman, the films co-director. Mother of Max Landis Mother of Rachel Landis. Among famous art forgers, he's in a class by himself, says Colette Loll, an art fraud investigator. But Mr. Wittman has been unable to find him. Since Landis was donating his copies to museums, he wasn't doing anything illegal. beforeAfterContainer.BeforeAfter(options); Anyone can read what you share. Master of Public Administration in Urban Affairs, Princeton University, 1969. He knocked, but Landis did not answer. After completing his AA degree at Normandale College, he worked in security, started his own business, Phoenix Taxi, and . Their documentary, Art and Craft, which opens tomorrow in New York, finds a surprisingly candid Landis in his native Mississippi, var beforeAfterContainer = $('#nytmm_beforeAfter_wrapper548 .nytmm_beforeAfter_container'); leftButtonText: data.footer.button.leftButtonText, He has been telling the same story for a long time, until I made the discovery. Mini Bio (1) Mark Landis is the son of Glenn and Ruby Landis Born in Cumberland, Maryland and joined the Army at 17 at 22 worked in Louisanna Oil Fields before moving to Los Angeles CA. (function($) { Art And Craft. He has charted Mr. Landiss travels to 19 states and his contacts, either in person or by phone or letter, with more than 40 museums since then, including large institutions like the National Portrait Gallery in Washington and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.