[CPProt.net] Vietnam: Closer inspection needed to tackle imitation, fake paintings

[MSN CPPnet]

 Closer inspection needed to tackle imitation, fake paintings
 
   
Vietnam needs to tighten control over forged paintings to protect the work
of genuine artists, said an arts authority after the Ministry of Culture and
Information's recent inspection tour of major cities.  
This is the first time the ministry sent an inspection panel to large cities
to assess Vietnam's rampant painting forgery, said Vice Chief of Department
of Fine Arts and Photography under the ministry Vi Kien Thanh, also a
consultant to the panel.

Forged paintings are particularly widespread in Ho Chi Minh City, including
painting imitations without authors' consent and faking authors' signatures,
Mr. Thanh said.

Many gallery owners claimed they were ignorant of the ministry's regulation
on arts reproduction, with some even saying they didn't know it was wrong to
copy paintings from circulated printing materials, Mr. Thanh added.

Mr. Thanh also revealed forgeries of Vietnam's celebrated artists such as Le
Pho, Bui Xuan Phai, and Nguyen Phan Chanh are rife with highly secret rings
and skilled workers.   

"Therefore it's not easy to trace those who order and buy the fake
paintings," the vice chairman admitted.

Market abandoned

In the 1990s, world collectors rushed for Vietnamese paintings, as Vietnam's
fresh paintings with traditional materials like silk or lacquer kept them in
awe.

But the art market in Vietnam seems to have stalled after 1997, mainly due
to a loss in prestige from rampant forgeries, said Mr. Thanh.

Even worse, fakes have sometimes been printed in books, creating further
confusion among arts admirers.

"We should tighten inspection and impose heavier punishments on
counterfeiters and imitators besides revising legal documentation on the
issue, Mr. Thanh urged.  

Reported by Quang Thi - Translated by Ngoc Hanh.
 
   
Story from Thanh Nien News
Published: 12 July, 2005, 12:34:30 (GMT+7)
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