Max Brandrett: Britain’s Most Notorious Art Forger
Max Brandrett is a British artist best known not for original works, but for his uncanny ability to replicate the styles of history’s greatest painters. Dubbed “Britain’s No. 1 art forger,” Brandrett’s life has been a blend of artistic brilliance, deception, and self-reflection.
Born in 1948, Brandrett began forging artwork in his youth, driven by a mix of artistic passion and financial necessity. Over the years, he created convincing imitations of Caravaggio, Vermeer, Rembrandt, and other Old Masters. His fakes were so expertly done that many passed through auction houses and art dealers, fooling even experienced experts.
Despite several brushes with the law, Brandrett’s forgeries were often sold not as malicious scams but as curiosities — sometimes with full disclosure, other times not. In recent years, he has spoken publicly and humorously about his past, including at the Cambridge Union, where he discussed the blurred lines between imitation, creativity, and fraud.
Brandrett’s story has been featured in Vice, the BBC, and national newspapers, and he has become a kind of folk hero for those fascinated by the contradictions of the art world. He now paints openly under his real name and has exhibited replica works and original pieces under the theme of art’s value, perception, and deception.
He tells his amazing rags-to-riches life story to millions through podcasts, personal appearances, in print and in interviews – from a childhood in Barnardo’s homes, to running away and joining the circus, hoodwinking the art world with his paintings and drawings, mixing with the great and the good (and the not so good), and giving away tens of thousands of pounds in charitable donations.
