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Henricus Antonius 'Han' van Meegeren ((:ɦɛnˈrikʏs ɑnˈtoːniʏs ˈɦɑn vɑn ˈmeːɣərə(n)); 10 October 1889 – 30 December 1947) was a Dutch painter and portraitist and is considered to be one of the most ingenious art forgers of the 20th century. As a child, van Meegeren developed an enthusiasm for the paintings of the Dutch Golden Age, and later set out to become an artist himself. Art critics, however, decried his work as tired and derivative, and van Meegeren felt that they had destroyed his career. Thereupon, he decided to prove his talent to the critics by forging paintings of some of the world's most famous artists, including Frans Hals, Pieter de Hooch, Gerard ter Borch, and Johannes Vermeer. He so well replicated the styles and colours of the artists that the best art critics and experts of the time regarded his paintings as genuine and sometimes exquisite. His most successful forgery was ''Supper at Emmaus'', created in 1937 while living in the south of France. This painting was hailed as a real Vermeer by famous art experts such as Abraham Bredius. Bredius acclaimed it as "''the'' masterpiece of Johannes Vermeer of Delft" and wrote of the "wonderful moment" of being "confronted with a hitherto unknown painting by a great master".〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.essentialvermeer.com/misc/van_meegeren.html )〕 During World War II, wealthy Dutchmen wanted to prevent a sellout of Dutch art to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, and they avidly bought van Meegeren's forgeries, thinking them the work of the masters. Nevertheless, a falsified "Vermeer" ended up in the possession of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring. Following the war, the forgery was discovered in Göring's possession, and van Meegeren was arrested on 29 May 1945 as a collaborator, as officials believed that he had sold Dutch cultural property to the Nazis. This would have been an act of treason, the punishment for which was death, so van Meegeren confessed to the less serious charge of forgery instead. He was convicted on falsification and fraud charges on 12 November 1947, after a brief but highly publicized trial, and was sentenced to a modest punishment of one year in prison.〔 He did not serve out his sentence, however; he died 30 December 1947, in the Valerius Clinic in Amsterdam, after two heart attacks.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://robscholtemuseum.nl/janet-wasserman-han-van-meegeren-and-his-portraits-of-theo-van-der-pas-and-jopie-breemer-3/ )〕 It is estimated that van Meegeren duped buyers, including the government of the Netherlands, out of the equivalent of more than thirty million dollars in today's money.〔Today's equivalent of the total amount in dollars stated by Kilbracken in Appendix II.〕 ==Early years== Han (a diminutive version of Henri or Henricus) van Meegeren was born in 1889 as the third of five children of middle-class Roman Catholic parents in the provincial city of Deventer. He was the son of Augusta Louisa Henrietta Camps and Hendrikus Johannes van Meegeren, a French and history teacher at the Kweekschool (training college for schoolteachers) in the city of Deventer.〔 Early on, Han felt neglected and misunderstood by his father, as the elder van Meegeren strictly forbade his artistic development and constantly derided him. He was often forced by his father to write a hundred times, "I know nothing, I am nothing, I am capable of nothing."〔Doudart de la Grée, Marie-Louise (Amsterdam 1966) ''Geen Standbeeld voor Van Meegeren'' (''No Statue for Van Meegeren''). Nederlandsche Keurboekerij Amsterdam. (N.B. Although in Dutch, it most important as a primary source of knowledge. Many citations from Doudart can be read in English in Kilbracken 1951.)〕〔Godley, John (Lord Kilbracken) (1951). ''Van Meegeren, master forger''. p:127 - 129. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. LC call number: ND653.M58 K53 1966. 〕 While attending the Higher Burger School, he met teacher and painter Bartus Korteling (1853–1930) who became his mentor. Korteling had been inspired by Johannes Vermeer and showed the young van Meegeren how Vermeer had manufactured and mixed his colours. Korteling had rejected the Impressionist movement and other modern trends as decadent, degenerate art, and his strong personal influence probably later led van Meegeren to rebuff contemporary styles and paint exclusively in the style of the Dutch Golden Age.〔Godley, 1951:129 - 134〕 Van Meegeren's father did not share his son’s love of art; instead, he encouraged Han to study architecture. In 1907, van Meegeren, compelled by his father's demands, left home to study at the Technische Hogeschool (Delft Technical College) in Delft, the hometown of Johannes Vermeer.〔 He received drawing and painting lessons, as well. He easily passed his preliminary examinations but, because he did not wish to become an architect, he never took the ''Ingenieurs'' (final) examination.〔 He nevertheless proved to be an apt architect and designed the clubhouse for his rowing club DDS in Delft (see image). This building still exists.〔Kreuger, Frederik H. (2007) ''A New Vermeer, Life and Work of Han van Meegeren''. Rijswijk, Holland: publishing house Quantes. page 22. ISBN 978-90-5959-047-2〕 In 1913, van Meegeren gave up his architecture studies and concentrated on drawing and painting at the art school in The Hague. On 8 January 1913, he received the prestigious Gold Medal from the Technical University in Delft for his ''Study of the Interior of the Church of Saint Lawrence'' (Laurenskerk) in Rotterdam.〔 The award was given every five years to an art student who created the best work, and was accompanied by a gold medal. On 18 April 1912, van Meegeren married fellow art student Anna de Voogt who was expecting their first child. The couple went to live with Anna’s grandmother in Rijswijk. Their son Jacques Henri Emil was born on 26 August 1912 in Rijswijk. Jacques van Meegeren also became a painter; he died on 26 October 1977 in Amsterdam. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Han van Meegeren」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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