Mark Forgy, longtime friend and confidante of Elmyr de Hory – the most prolific and successful art faker of the twentieth century, is an author, playwright, lecturer, art historian and authority of works by Elmyr.
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When I first met Elmyr de Hory, he was still uneasy with his newfound notoriety, emerging from the shadows, transitioning from fakery to the rigors of making a legitimate living. All the while he remained steadfast in his conviction that he was a talented artist and would eventually earn the recognition he deserved. What he found was a demand for his pastiches of works in the styles of others—not his own avant-garde style. While he finally accrued name recognition and financial security for the first time in his life, these accomplishments were not accompanied by the artistic vindication he desired. It was a cruel irony he endured until his death on December 11, 1976. In the autumn of 1969 he offered me a job as his personal assistant, living with him in Ibiza. My knowledge then of art and most everything else was slight. He became my tutor, mentor, and best friend. What I observed in Elmyr surprised me. Art was not his raison d’être. Instead, it was his love of people. This was where his heart was. Moreover, he had an uncanny ability to capture the soul of people in his portraits, whether brief sketches or more detailed studies. Once, standing with him in front of a portrait by Rembrandt, he said to me, “You can see how his figures drip with humanity.” For all the education, culture, and worldliness I absorbed in his company, what endeared him to me was his sense of empathy for others, the quality that drew him many friends and earned him great respect.
