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Ken Perenyi  

America's Foremost Art Forger

Born in 1949 in Hoboken, New Jersey, Ken is a self-taught artist who painted his first pictures during the Summer of Love in 1967, having discovered an uncanny ability to intuitively grasp the aesthetic and technical aspects of the Old Masters. A series of fateful events resulted in what was to become a thirty-year career as a professional art forger.

Ken recently published his memoir — "Caveat Emptor: The Secret Life of an American Art Forger." Ten years ago, an FBI investigation in conjunction with the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York was about to expose a scandal in the art world that would have been front-page news in New York and London. After a trail of fake paintings of astonishing quality led federal agents to art dealers, renowned experts and the major auction houses, the investigation inexplicably ended, despite an abundance of evidence collected. The case was closed and the FBI file was marked “exempt from public disclosure.”

Now that the statute of limitations on these crimes has expired and the case appears hermetically sealed shut by the FBI, this book, "Caveat Emptor," is Ken Perenyi’s confession. It is the story, in detail, of how he pulled it all off.

Ken tells his captivating story along with a multimedia presentation showing this amazing journey including why he was never prosecuted.

Ken now sells his works as “authentic reproductions.”

News


Gallery faces another forgery complaint - Worcester Telegram ...
NEW YORK — The art forger Ken Perenyi remembers Anthony Masaccio as a practiced partner in the sale of fake paintings, a man with movie-star looks and the ...
Ken Perenyi: Choosing to Adopt While Under Investigation (VIDEO ...
... one of the world's most notorious art forgers? Ken Perenyi explains how he was caught up in an investigation by the FBI in a scandal that rocked the art world .

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