Art and Craft (2014)

When one of the most prolific art forgers in US history is finally exposed, he must confront the legacy of his 30-year con.

Directors:

Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman

Stars:

Mark A. Landis, Lester Sullivan, Irwin Lakov

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Mark A. Landis	...	Himself
Lester Sullivan	...	Himself
Irwin Lakov	...	Himself
Matthew Leininger	...	Himself, registrar, Cincinnati Art Museum
Mark Tullos	...	Himself, museum director, Hilliard Museum
Jill Chancey	...	Herself, curator, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art
Ellen Ruffin	...	Herself, curator, De Grummond Collection
Aaron Cowan	...	Himself, history professor, University of Cincinnati
Patty Hall	...	Herself, Hattiesburg Arts Council
Robert K. Wittman	...	Himself, special agent, Art Crime Team, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Donna English	...	Herself, Mark A. Landis' former caseworker
John Gasper	...	Himself, associate editor and chief business commentator, Financial Times
Katie Leininger	...	Herself, Matthew C. Leininger's daughter
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sandra Holifield	...	Herself
Chris Watkins	...	Himself

Storyline

When one of the most prolific art forgers in US history is finally exposed, he must confront the legacy of his 30-year con.

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Plot Keywords:

art forger | forger | art | impersonating a priest | tracing | 

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Taglines:

He puts the artist in con artist.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 March 2015 (France)

Also Known As:

Den filantropiske förfalskaren

Filming Locations:

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,100, 26 September 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$215,300, 21 November 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Motto Pictures, Non Sequitur Productions, Yellow Cake Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 56 min (TV)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Mark A. Landis: The Sotheby's label would have said, "Black chalk, brown". You know how those thing, "Black chalk, brown wash, red chalk.". I just use color pencils, you know, 'cause they can't tell.

User Reviews

Exceptionally strange from start to finish!

I really wish the film Art and Craft had been made a few years ago before I retired from teaching. This is because in my psychology classes, I occasionally showed my students films about strange people and we'd discuss the possible diagnoses that you could give to the folks portrayed in the film. Well, in the case of Art and Craft, this really would have opened up some wonderful discussions, as the man featured in this documentary, Mark Landis is one odd character...and that's putting is mildly!

So what is it about Mark that makes him unusual you may ask. Well, he's a world-class forger and has made hundreds of copies of great works of art. This in of itself is not so unusual. Hold on to your hats. Mark then DONATES these paintings to various art galleries across the United States! He receives no money for this and his only reward is knowing that he's tricked the museums into hanging his fakes. In some cases, he's even gone to extremes to put over these fakes--such as posing as a priest or a variety of other people!

At this point you are probably wondering what makes him tick--and that is what makes the film so interesting. Landis is obviously mentally ill--but not necessarily in a traditional sense. Does he have a personality disorder? Well, a true antisocial personality would do this for money and personal gain--but where is the gain? He's been diagnosed as schizophrenic and I'll admit that he's odd and a tad delusional-- but can such a person normally be able to convince so many people that he's a great philanthropist?! He also reminds me quite a bit of someone with an Autism Spectrum disorder, as his social skills are incredibly poor in some ways and he has a savant-like ability to copy paintings almost exactly. Yet, interestingly, he cannot make anything really original. His one 'original' picture that he talks about is just a drawing of a photograph. So, he's an amazing artist with no apparent ability to abstract or create something on his own.

But there is still far more to the story--including another individual who sure shows a lot of Obsessive-Compulsive traits--so much so that he appears to have given up his job in order to follow Landis and identify his fakes! All in all , this is one very strange documentary...but also one that you cannot stop watching because it IS so strange and compelling. Additionally, some of the special features on the DVD (which came out this week) are pretty interesting. So why an A- and not a higher score? Because although the film is interesting, it does leave a lot unsaid and unexplained- -such as how Landis can afford his supplies and to travel the country posing as a philanthropist even though he has no job. Odd but definitely worth your time.