SydneysBuzz: Kino! Film Salon

‘Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery’(‘Beltracchi — Die Kunst der Fälschung’). Wolfgang Beltracchi got away with forging art masterpieces for over 40 years. He may be egotistical and nihilistic, but his genius in undeniable. He managed to fool gallery owners, historians and investors with the stroke of a brush. This documentary follows his last days as a free man.

Join us and our special guest Sunday, February 13, 11:00 am PST! Director and producer Arne Birkenstock will attend our virtual conversation. There are a lot of topics to discuss and we will receive feedback on first hand. KINO! Film Salon is a monthly online discussion of a German film.

Please RSVP at https://bit.ly/kinorsvpbeltracchi and the Zoom link will be emailed to you 24 hours before the event. Please don’t share this link directly (but do encourage your friends to RSVP!); our capacity is limited and admission will be on a first-come-first-served basis.

For nearly 40 years, Wolfgang Beltracchi fooled the international art world and was responsible for the biggest art forgery scandal of the postwar era. An expert in art history, theory and painting techniques, he tracked down the gaps in the oeuvres of great artists — Max Ernst, Fernand Leger, Heinrich Campendonk, Andre Derain and Max Pechstein, above all — and filled them with his own works. He and his wife Helene would then introduce them to the art world as originals.

What makes these forgeries truly one-of-a-kind is that they are never mere copies of once-existing paintings, but products of Beltracchi’s imagination, works “in the style of” famous early 20th-century artists. With his forgeries, he fooled renowned experts, curators and art dealers. The auctioneers Sotheby’s and Christie’s were hoodwinked, just like Hollywood star Steve Martin and other collectors throughout the world.

Winner of Best Documentary at the German Film Awards.

✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ Read critic reviews

Watch the trailer here.

1. We watched Run Lola Run and cheered for the protagonist, an enabler of her boyfriend drug dealer. Do you also cheer for Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi?

2. What made this caper so attractive to the audience?

3. Why do you think it won the German Prize for Best Documentary?

4. Why do you think they emphasized Max Ernst and his “genius” so much?

5. What do you think of Helene and their marriage? She mentions how they met and what she heard about his “profession” and we see their dynamic…what else do you think might or might not be mentioned about their marriage. He makes a comment about giving her a life of adventure.

6. Was this a victimless crime?

7. What do you think about Helene’s stating the dealers were happy to have art to sell

8. What do you think of the art dealer’s comment that his clients lost no money because they all benefitted from the forced sale of Beltracchi’s real estate.

9. Do you resonate with the thrill of lying and getting away with it?

10. Was their punishment commensurate with their crime?

11. What do you make of their current life?

12. This was Arne Birkentock’s third doc. He is now on his 13th. What do you think might have attracted Arne Birkenstock to make this doc?

1. 2021-Vienna Calling (Documentary) (producer) (post-production)

2. 2020 — The New Gospel (producer)

3. 2019 - Just Another Day in Paradise (Documentary) (co-producer)

4. 2019 — Sunset Over Mulholland Drive (Documentary) (producer)

5. 2018 — Dreamaway (Documentary) (co-producer)

6. 2018- Mamacita (Documentary) (producer)

7. 2018- Together Forever — Secrets of 50+ Years of Marriage (Documentary) (producer)

8. 2017 — Exodus (Documentary) (associate producer)

9. 2017- The Congo Tribunal (Documentary) (producer)

10. 2014 — Die Moskauer Prozesse (Documentary) (producer)

11. 2014- Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery (Documentary) (producer)

12. 2010 — Chandani: The Daughter of the Elephant Whisperer (Documentary) (producer)

13. 2005- 12 Tangos — Adios Buenos Aires (Documentary) (producer)

KINO! Film Salon. Each month we choose a German film or series currently available to stream, watch it independently, and come together for a hosted conversation with other fans of German film.

Our film for February is Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery, directed by Arne Birkenstock.

The KINO! Film Salon will take place on Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 11am — 12pm PST, 2pm — 3pm EST, 8pm — 9pm CET.

Host: Sydney Levine consults, interviews and writes about filmmakers and the film industry. She has taught international film business at universities including UCLA, Chapman, The New School of Social Research, and the University of Television and Film Munich, as well as at festivals including the Cannes Producers Workshop, and Berlinale Talents. She created FilmFinders, the film industry’s first database, which was acquired by IMDb. She currently lives in Berlin and Los Angeles. https://blogs.sydneysbuzz.com/

KINO! Film Salon is a production of Telescope Film in partnership with the German Film Office.