Guy Hain
Encyclopedia
Guy Hain is a French
art forger
who produced number of fake bronze sculpture
s.
Guy Hain begun as a seller of veterinary products. In his job he met a number of veterinarian
s who had antique bronze sculptures of animals and developed an interest of them. In 1962 he spent 550,000.00 French franc
s for Rodin
's The Kiss
. When he could not find a job as a salesman, he became an art dealer
. He opened an gallery
"Aux ducs de Bourgogne" in the Louvre des Antiquaires - a shopping mall not far from the Louvre
that is leased mostly by antiques dealers . He closed the gallery in 1988.
Hain approached the foundry
of Rudier that was one of the foundries that had produced Rodin's bronze sculptures at the beginning of the 20th century. He convinced the owners Georges and Bernard Rudier to use the original mold
s to recast known Rodin works. He set up a chasing shop in Nogent-sur-Marne
and 1990 bought the Balland foundry in Luxeuil-les-Bains
and managed them with his wife.
Since the bronzes were based on the original moulds, the experts could not see the difference. Some of the bronzes were also made based on production plaster
copies used 75–90 years previously.
Hain sold thousands of new bronzes to art dealers as originals, using the signature of Alexis Rudier, the original caster for Rodin. He earned equivalent to FFR 130 million ($18.2 million). He later claimed that he had a contract to use the name of Alexis but the Rudiers contested that.
He expanded to the production of copies from other sculptors like Aldred Barye and Antoine-Louis Barye
, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
, Camille Claudel
, Christophe Fratin, Emmanuel Frémiet
, Aristide Maillol
, Pierre-Jules Mene
and Pierre Auguste Renoir. He practically flooded the art market with his copies.
In January 1992 police inspectors from Dijon
, Burgundy
, arrested Hain and seized about 20 metric tons of bronze sculptures in various foundries in Burgundy and Paris.
On January 17, 1996, Hain appeared in court in Lure
, central France, accused of forgery
. On June 28, 1997 he was sentenced to four years in jail but served only 18 months.
Rambouillet
auction
eers Rey et Faure were also charged with complicity for selling the bronzes in their own auctions between 1987-1991. They had sold copies worth about $3 million. A big would-be-Rodin bronze called "The Kiss" was sold for FFr
4.5 million ($800.000). Charges were later dropped.
Other auctions houses like Christie's
and Sotheby's
had also sold the copies to their customers.
On January 27, 2006 a public auction
organized by DNID (Direction Nationale d'Interventions Domaniales) was held in Dijon, France, with 73 bronzes in exhibition. Five pieces were removed from the sale and 68 remained.
"Angélique et Roger montés sur l'hippogriffe" "d'après" Antoine Barye, unmounted, sandcast bronze sculpture without inscription was adjuged 54 000 €.
An original piece was sold for a record price of $310,000.00 at Christie's on 25 April 2003.
When Hain was released, he continued the practice: he had the bronzes produced in stages, one foundry making casting, one chasing and one the patination. In 2000 he registered the names of Alexis and Georges Rudier - alongside with a number of other foundries - as trademark
s he was supposedly allowed to use. Georges Rudier sued him to get the names back.
He was rearrested in 2002 and went to a court in April. Evidence collected by Dijon police department consisted of 1,100 copies of works of 98 different French sculptors. Prosecutor asked for five years in prison and a FFr2 million fine.
Many art dealers and collectors became very suspect of bronze works. Art expert Gilles Perrault calculated that Hain had produced over 6,000 copies beyond those the police had confiscated. Only one-third of the copies had been traced.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
art forger
Art forgery
Art forgery is the creation of works of art which are falsely attributed to other, usually more famous, artists. Art forgery can be extremely lucrative, but modern dating and analysis techniques have made the identification of forged artwork much simpler....
who produced number of fake bronze sculpture
Bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply a "bronze".Common bronze alloys have the unusual and desirable property of expanding slightly just before they set, thus filling the finest details of a mold. Then, as the bronze cools, it...
s.
Guy Hain begun as a seller of veterinary products. In his job he met a number of veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
s who had antique bronze sculptures of animals and developed an interest of them. In 1962 he spent 550,000.00 French franc
Franc
The franc is the name of several currency units, most notably the Swiss franc, still a major world currency today due to the prominence of Swiss financial institutions and the former currency of France, the French franc until the Euro was adopted in 1999...
s for Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
's The Kiss
The Kiss (Rodin sculpture)
The Kiss is an 1889 marble sculpture by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Like many of Rodin's best-known individual sculptures, including The Thinker, the embracing couple depicted in the sculpture appeared originally as part of a group of reliefs decorating Rodin's monumental bronze portal The...
. When he could not find a job as a salesman, he became an art dealer
Art dealer
An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art. Art dealers' professional associations serve to set high standards for accreditation or membership and to support art exhibitions and shows.-Role:...
. He opened an gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
"Aux ducs de Bourgogne" in the Louvre des Antiquaires - a shopping mall not far from the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
that is leased mostly by antiques dealers . He closed the gallery in 1988.
Hain approached the foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
of Rudier that was one of the foundries that had produced Rodin's bronze sculptures at the beginning of the 20th century. He convinced the owners Georges and Bernard Rudier to use the original mold
Molding (process)
Molding or moulding is the process of manufacturing by shaping pliable raw material using a rigid frame or model called a pattern....
s to recast known Rodin works. He set up a chasing shop in Nogent-sur-Marne
Nogent-sur-Marne
Nogent-sur-Marne is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Nogent-sur-Marne is a sous-préfecture of the Val-de-Marne département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Nogent-sur-Marne.-History:...
and 1990 bought the Balland foundry in Luxeuil-les-Bains
Luxeuil-les-Bains
Luxeuil-les-Bains is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Franche-Comté in eastern France.-History:Luxeuil was the Roman Luxovium and contained many fine buildings at the time of its destruction by the Huns under Attila in 451...
and managed them with his wife.
Since the bronzes were based on the original moulds, the experts could not see the difference. Some of the bronzes were also made based on production plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
copies used 75–90 years previously.
Hain sold thousands of new bronzes to art dealers as originals, using the signature of Alexis Rudier, the original caster for Rodin. He earned equivalent to FFR 130 million ($18.2 million). He later claimed that he had a contract to use the name of Alexis but the Rudiers contested that.
He expanded to the production of copies from other sculptors like Aldred Barye and Antoine-Louis Barye
Antoine-Louis Barye
Antoine-Louis Barye was a French sculptor most famous for his work as an animalier, a sculptor of animals.-Biography:Born in Paris, Barye began his career as a goldsmith, like many sculptors of the Romantic Period...
, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux was a French sculptor and painter.Born in Valenciennes, Nord, son of a mason, his early studies were under François Rude. Carpeaux entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1844 and won the Prix de Rome in 1854, and moving to Rome to find inspiration, he there studied the works of...
, Camille Claudel
Camille Claudel
Camille Claudel was a French sculptor and graphic artist. She was the elder sister of the poet and diplomat Paul Claudel.- Early years :...
, Christophe Fratin, Emmanuel Frémiet
Emmanuel Frémiet
Emmanuel Frémiet was a French sculptor. He is famous for his sculpture of Joan of Arc in Paris and the monument to Ferdinand de Lesseps in Suez....
, Aristide Maillol
Aristide Maillol
Aristide Maillol or Aristides Maillol was a French Catalan sculptor and painter.-Biography:...
, Pierre-Jules Mene
Pierre-Jules Mêne
Pierre Jules Mêne, , was a French Sculptor and animalière. He is considered the pioneer of animal sculpture in the nineteenth-century....
and Pierre Auguste Renoir. He practically flooded the art market with his copies.
In January 1992 police inspectors from Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
, Burgundy
Bourgogne
Burgundy is one of the 27 regions of France.The name comes from the Burgundians, an ancient Germanic people who settled in the area in early Middle-age. The region of Burgundy is both larger than the old Duchy of Burgundy and smaller than the area ruled by the Dukes of Burgundy, from the modern...
, arrested Hain and seized about 20 metric tons of bronze sculptures in various foundries in Burgundy and Paris.
On January 17, 1996, Hain appeared in court in Lure
Lure
Lure can refer to:* Lure * Lure coursing, a sport for dogs that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure* Fishing lure* Lur, an instrument found in northern Europe* Lure, Haute-Saône, a commune of the Haute-Saône département, in France...
, central France, accused of forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
. On June 28, 1997 he was sentenced to four years in jail but served only 18 months.
Rambouillet
Rambouillet
Rambouillet is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.It is located in the suburbs of Paris southwest from the center...
auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
eers Rey et Faure were also charged with complicity for selling the bronzes in their own auctions between 1987-1991. They had sold copies worth about $3 million. A big would-be-Rodin bronze called "The Kiss" was sold for FFr
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
4.5 million ($800.000). Charges were later dropped.
Other auctions houses like Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
and Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
had also sold the copies to their customers.
On January 27, 2006 a public auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
organized by DNID (Direction Nationale d'Interventions Domaniales) was held in Dijon, France, with 73 bronzes in exhibition. Five pieces were removed from the sale and 68 remained.
"Angélique et Roger montés sur l'hippogriffe" "d'après" Antoine Barye, unmounted, sandcast bronze sculpture without inscription was adjuged 54 000 €.
An original piece was sold for a record price of $310,000.00 at Christie's on 25 April 2003.
When Hain was released, he continued the practice: he had the bronzes produced in stages, one foundry making casting, one chasing and one the patination. In 2000 he registered the names of Alexis and Georges Rudier - alongside with a number of other foundries - as trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s he was supposedly allowed to use. Georges Rudier sued him to get the names back.
He was rearrested in 2002 and went to a court in April. Evidence collected by Dijon police department consisted of 1,100 copies of works of 98 different French sculptors. Prosecutor asked for five years in prison and a FFr2 million fine.
Many art dealers and collectors became very suspect of bronze works. Art expert Gilles Perrault calculated that Hain had produced over 6,000 copies beyond those the police had confiscated. Only one-third of the copies had been traced.