ART AND CRAFT starts out as a cat-and-mouse art caper, rooted in questions of authorship and authenticity—but what emerges is an intimate story of obsession and the universal need for community, appreciation, and purpose.
Mark Landis has been called one of the most prolific art forgers in US history. His impressive body of work spans thirty years, covering a wide range of painting styles and periods that includes 15th Century Icons, Picasso, and even Walt Disney. And while the copies could fetch impressive sums on the open market, Landis isn’t in it for money. Posing as a philanthropic donor, a grieving executor of a family member’s will, and most recently as a Jesuit priest, Landis has given away hundreds of works over the years to a staggering list of institutions across the United States. But after duping Matthew Leininger, a tenacious registrar who ultimately discovers the decades-long ruse and sets out to expose his philanthropic escapades to the art world, Landis must confront his own legacy and a chorus of museum professionals clamoring for him to stop.
However, stopping isn’t as simple as it might appear. Landis, it turns out, struggles with mental illness and over the years he’s developed an outright “addiction to philanthropy” as his elaborate cons offer him the chance to cultivate connection and respect. Art and Craft starts out as a cat-and-mouse art caper, rooted in questions of authorship and authenticity – but what emerges is an intimate story of obsession and the universal need for community, appreciation, and purpose.
The documentary includes interviews from curators, art council members, journalists, and FBI Art Crime Team member, Robert Wittman, the docu dives into the art world, philanthropy, and forgeries. But more successfully it explores the psyches of Mark Landis and Matthew Leininger. Both men give the film its soul with their individual life purposes, even if on opposite sides of art forgery.
Art And Craft is currently playing at Lincoln Plaza & Angelika Film Center in New York City. For complete list of theartres visit www.artandcraftfilm.com/see-film/
Photo(s): Oscilloscope Laboratories