Film - Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art

Knoedler is one of New York’s oldest art galleries owned by a millionaire Michael Hammer and run by Ann Freedman. She says she was duped by 30 pieces of fake art bought to her by Glafira Rosales which she sold onto her customers. Everyone who saw the work said it was beautiful and many vouched that it was authentic. 

It turned out due diligence wasn’t fully carried out so a complete history of ownership - what they call provenance - could not be proven. Maybe Ann was so carried away by the find and that her customers were looking to buy - she chose to believe what she was seeing. Who knows what happens at the moment. I can’t imagine her needing the millions - it’s hardly the down and out luck of Lee Israel (see Can You Ever Forgive Me?) 

In Made You Look, much made of an unknown broker walking off the street but aren’t they all unknown at the start? The art is deemed beautiful by everyone who sees it and just goes to prove - if proof is necessary - that paying $80million for 30 pieces of art is a ridiculous amount of money.

The only person convicted is the dealer of the fakes who has a suspense sentence which, when you think of how many tens of millions were involved, seems unjust but they are million so millionaire so maybe fairly just. I’ve seen governments who have taken lives and deliberately put people into poverty receive nothing. Her husband and father of her children roams free despite his having a chequered history with law enforcement. He was known to have worked with the painter - a clearly talented artist who hot-footed it back to China where it turns out there is a whole industry of art forgeries.

Everyone else so defensive of themselves after the end, Ann Freedman was a scapegoat when they all failed to spot a fake too.

Everybody comes away bad in this documentary about the multi-million dollar con. Those accusing her, the others who initially believed they were authentic pieces of art and especially the buyers that were duped - they behaved like spoilt brats. I found myself routing for Ann Freedland throughout.

7/10