Lowry forger jailed for £1m fraud told he can sell his work
A forger who conned dealers and museums out of £1million is being allowed to sell paintings that imitate the work of L.S. Lowry.
Despite serving four years in prison, Shaun greenhalgh, 56, has been given the go ahead ‘within the confines of the law’ to put three copycat paintings into an auction.
A prolific forger for 17 years, he offloaded a number of fake versions of Lowry’s works – including a copy of The Meeting House that went on to sell for £70,000. However, the three current works up for sale at Bolton Auction rooms, which are estimated to go for around £6,000, are not direct copies, but works done in the style of the Salford artist, featuring his distinctive ‘matchstick’ figures.
on the front they bear a copy of Lowry’s signature and a made-up date for when they were painted – while on the back it says ‘2015, Shaun greenhalgh after L.S. Lowry’.
one is of a football match, while the others depict matchstick people in typical Lowry street scenes. Auctioneer Harry Howcroft hailed greenhalgh as a genius and said he was happy to sell the paintings, adding that potential buyers would be attracted by his colourful past. Between 1989 and 2006, greenhalgh, his brother and elderly parents formed what Scotland Yard called ‘possibly the most diverse forgery team in the world ever’.
In 1999 greenhalgh sculpted a 20in statue known as the Amarna Princess, done in an egyptian style and touted as dating from 1,350BC.
In fact, he created it in his shed in just three weeks with tools from B&Q. His father george later approached Bolton Museum, telling them it was from his grandfather’s ‘forgotten collection’. After consulting experts, the museum bought it for £439,767 in 2003.
Before his release from jail in 2010, greenhalgh wrote his memoirs and apologised to those he had duped. He wrote: ‘I wasn’t proud of it then. And I’m not proud of it now.’ He said the Amarna Princess was a ‘botched job’, revealing that he once dropped it and glued it back together.
Describing the paintings up for auction, Mr Howcroft said: ‘These Shaun greenhalgh works are interpretations of the great L.S. Lowry. They clearly state that they are done by greenhalgh. He’s an incredibly talented artist who is now using his significant skills within the confines of the law.’
The three paintings go on sale on february 20.