David Henty is now considered the best copyist artist in the world today.
His work is meticulously and lovingly recreated to the finest detail, having honed his craft over 25 years to now master the techniques and nuances of some of history’s most iconic artists, his work has fooled scientists and art critics alike, being practically indiscernible from originals of such artworks by Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, LS Lowry, Caravaggio, Leonardo Da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, Norman Rockwell, Chaim Sautine, Carel Fabrituius, Claude Monet, Jean Michel Basquiat, Ewin Landseer, Walter Sickert, Rene Magritte, David Shepherd, John Singer Sargent, Gabriel Rossetti, and the list goes on.
David’s history as an artist started, appropriately enough, with a short stint in HM Prison for passport forgery in the mid-1990s. It was while serving the sentence that David was inspired to start painting after being seduced by the stories of the artists he’d study. Fascinated by their technical genius he became more and more interested in attaining a level of expertise, and being ‘connected’ to the very psyche of the artists, even dreaming of their lives and the masterpiece artworks. Before long he taught himself, through rigorous preparation and a wholly immersive research process, the art of copying, and flawless reproduction. Wherever possible, even sourcing the same materials, pigments, brushes, canvases and boards staying true to the period.
​​David explains that his paintings are a very different discipline to that of producing original artwork, copying is notoriously difficult and much more technically challenging to follow someone else’s lines and brush styles.
He relishes the technical challenge of mastering an artist’s eye, and once he has an affinity with the artist, he is able to replicate their style to an amazing degree of closeness. David’s preparation for a painting begins long before his brush even touches canvas, and consequently, each piece comes with its own unique narrative as a 'David Henty' painting, original in itself.
Recent press attention from the likes of The Sunday Telegraph, Daily Express and high-profile appearances on Sky News and BBC Radio 4 just to mention a few, confirm a mounting interest in David Henty's artwork and an appreciation for this growing and respected genre.
The recent release of a captivating novel where David Henty the Art Forger is the lead character in a novel written by Sunday Times award winning author Peter James (Inspector Grace series) highlights the trials and tribulations of being an art forger.
Filming of an eagerly awaited film based on David’s life as an art forger is currently underway and is in the early stages of production. Former actor Nick Moran (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Harry Potter, The Great Train Robbery) is writing and producing the film with the working title of ‘Picasso Before Breakfast’ and is due for release in 2024.
​Each original piece is presented in its own bespoke, handmade frame and signed on the reverse by David Henty to certify its authenticity.