Owning masterpieces worth millions of pounds might be a pipe dream for most but David Henty’s art forgeries could just be the next best thing. David Henty originals are so popular that there is currently a waiting list for commissions. He has been featured by the Telegraph, BBC and Sky News and has over 25 years experience replicating great works of art.  Whilst each piece is signed as a David Henty original on the back of the canvas you could be forgiven for thinking that David’s works look like the real deal at first glance.

David Henty’s history as a copyist artist starts, appropriately enough, with a conviction for forgery in the mid-1990s. It was while serving the resulting prison sentence that David was inspired to start painting by a rekindled passion for art.  He has mastered the techniques and idiosyncrasies of some of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries’ most iconic artists, from Amedeo Modigliani to Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gough to Jean-Michel Basquiat.

David explains that his paintings are a very different discipline to producing original artwork, and it is no mean feat – copying is notoriously difficult. But he relishes the technical challenge of mastering an artist’s style. It is only once he has an affinity with an artist, once he has ‘connected’ with them, that he will attempt to emulate their style. This means that David’s preparation for a painting begins before his brush even touches the canvas.

Each of David’s works involves immersing himself in the artist’s world, a great deal of research and where possible sourcing materials true to the period. ‘Starry Night’ featured above is the largest of four stunning originals on display at Forest Gallery as of this week and we suggest early viewings to avoid disappointment.  To view the current collection of David Henty original paintings click on the link.