Convicted Art Forger John Myatt Helps Artists Create Genuine Replicas of Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir and Many Other Famous Paintings
Gallery HD Viewers Can Enter to Win a Limited Edition Print of the Forged Masterpiece of Their Choice at www.GalleryHD.com
New York, NY – February 24, 2008 – VOOM's Gallery HD, the only high-definition channel devoted to the visual arts, announced today the premiere of a new series: FORGER'S MASTERCLASS, teaching aspiring painters how to emulate the style of the world's greatest artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir and many others. VOOM's FORGER'S MASTERCLASS series will include ten half-hour episodes launching March 3, at 8:30 p.m. Gallery HD is one of fifteen VOOM HD Networks, the largest and most diverse suite of high-definition channels nationwide.
The series is hosted by John Myatt, whose stunning forgeries of Matisse, Chagall and Klee notoriously fooled the art world in the 1990s. Myatt was eventually caught and charged in 1998. He served time in Brixton prison but his subsequent fame enabled him to open a legitimate 'Genuine Fake' business where his replica paintings now sell for thousands of pounds and fine art publishers have exhibited his work.
To help kick-off the series, Gallery HD is hosting a contest to give viewers a chance to win a limited edition print of the forged masterpiece of their choice from a limited selection of five of the world's most sought after paintings. Viewers may enter to win at www.GalleryHD.com through April 30. The winner will be announced in May.
"Learning from past masters can only improve today's artists' skills and creativity," said John Myatt, host of VOOM Gallery HD's FORGER'S MASTERCLASS series and notorious art forger behind the biggest art fraud of the 20th century. "I also share with students some of my own tricks to create truly genuine replicas of some of the world's most famous and sought after paintings."
FORGER'S MASTERCLASS is a revealing and inspiring series for both art lovers and aspiring artists alike to learn the painting techniques and stylistic insights of world-renowned artists, such as Van Gogh's brushstroke techniques, Monet's special color palettes and how to paint a landscape in the style of Singer-Sargent. From a Monet landscape to a Modigliani nude, Myatt provides his students with both the theory and technique to set up their easels and capture the composition of a street scene by Hopper or the brushstrokes of a still life by Cezanne. He also passes on his own techniques such as rubbing soil onto canvas replicates Braque's finish, or that coffee ages a painting by a century or more.
World renowned artists' works featured in the series include:
Pierre Auguste Renoir
Edward Hopper
Claude Monet
Vincent Van Gogh
Paul Cezanne
Georges Braque
John Singer-Sargent
David Hockney
Amedeo Modigliani
Andre Derain
Gallery HD is dedicated to visual art and the artistic process. Through visually stunning imagery and compelling storytelling, Gallery HD is the first and only HD channel that defines the most talked-about artists of today and tomorrow.
About VOOM HD
VOOM HD networks (www.voom.com) comprise the world's largest suite of high-definition channels for distribution through satellite and cable operators. Produced exclusively in true high-definition and 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound, VOOM HD networks carry programming in categories as diverse as sports, movies, fashion, music and art. VOOM HD networks' 15 HDTV channels are available in the U.S. on Echostar's DISH Network and Cablevisions iO digital cable service. VOOM HD, a 24/7 linear channel is available internationally in 35 countries and is currently distributed in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Building on Rainbow Media Holdings LLCs history of original programming innovation, VOOM HD was developed by Rainbow to meet the growing worldwide demand for quality high-definition programming.
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media is a leading producer of targeted, multi-platform content for global distribution, creating and managing some of the world's most compelling and dynamic entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, WE tv, LIFESKOOL, SPORTSKOOL, and VOOM HD Networks. Through its IFC Entertainment division, Rainbow Media also owns and manages the following: IFC Films, a theatrical feature film distribution company; IFC First Take/IFC in Theaters, a day and date theatrical feature film/VOD initiative; the IFC Center in New York City; IFC Productions, a feature film production company; and IFC Entertainment, which owns and operates a film library. Rainbow Media also operates Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation, its advertising sales company, and Rainbow Network Communications, its full service network programming origination and distribution company.