Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Brigido Lara |
Title |
Untitled |
Date |
n.d. |
Medium |
Ceramic |
Dimensions |
H-24.75 W-12.5 L-14 inches |
Dimensions |
24.75" x 12.5" x 14" |
Description |
Brígido Lara Untitled, n.d. Low fire clay ceramic, 24.75" x 12.5" x 14" Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 1000.14.1 Brígido Lara is a Mexican artist and ex-forger of pre-Columbian antiques, who claims to have created over 40,000 pieces of forged pre-Columbian pottery. He began to create forgeries in the 1950s and 1960s. He created many items in the style of the Mayans, Aztecs, and Totonacs. He worked in a museum, where he was acquainted with both original artifacts and potential customers. Lara sold his work as genuine Mexican antiquities; buyers did not ask many questions since they were buying contraband — taking antiquities out of Mexico is illegal. In July 1974, Mexican police arrested a group of what appeared to be antique smugglers – with Brígido Lara among them. An antiquities expert declared Lara's forgeries genuine. While serving his prison sentence, Lara requested fresh clay, and to prove his innocence, created just the items he was accused of smuggling. The same antique expert declared them genuine as well. Lara was released in January 1975. The Museo de Antropología de Xalapa later hired Lara as a restorer and to recognize forgeries. Lara continues to sculpt in ancient styles but now signs his work and is a licensed maker of replicas. He calls his previous forgeries "his originals" or "original interpretations". |
Object Name |
Sculpture |
Object Number |
1000.14.1 |
Collection |
Mexic-Arte Museum |