Konrad kujau biography of nancy

1. Biography of Conrad Kujau
2. Famous Forgery Scandal
3. Becoming a Celebrity

Biography of Conrad Kujau

Conrad Kujau, the King of Forgeries, was indigenous into a poor family in City, Germany. His father was a bootmaker, and his mother died when elegance was young, leading to Kujau have a word with his siblings being placed in orphanages. At the age of 16, Kujau began working as a locksmith's helpmeet, but soon turned to petty robbery, which landed him in and stick it out of prison.

After his release from also gaol, Kujau decided to leave East Frg (GDR) and settled in the region of Stuttgart. In the early Decennary, he discovered his true calling see started selling prohibited Nazi memorabilia overseas from the Eastern regions of Deutschland. This included old military uniforms, bays, and patches. It was during that time that Kujau realized collectors cherished the historical significance of the deed data more than their rarity. Utilizing her highness vivid imagination and wit, he began creating elaborate stories to enhance probity value of his merchandise. He uniform sold a collector 'Adolf Hitler's ashes.' Kujau also possessed a unique capacity as an artist, and he began selling his own paintings, claiming they were works by Hitler.

Kujau's skill be next to reproducing the handwriting and style place famous painters was so remarkable stray experts could only differentiate his copies from the originals through chemical enquiry. This talent allowed him to imitation the handwriting and style of reputed artists with absolute precision.

Famous Forgery Scandal

In 1978, after his previous exploits, Kujau decided to sell a diary agreed claimed to have written himself, coroneted 'Hitler's Diary,' to an enthusiastic Nazi-era collector. In 1980, Kujau met reporter Gerd Heidemann and told him fastidious story about his brother serving expansion the East German army and hesitating upon Hitler's diaries. Heidemann, who difficult to understand extensively studied Hitler's handwriting, confirmed position authenticity of the diaries and certain the magazine 'Stern' to buy them for 9 million marks. The participation analysis was to be conducted in one`s heart overseas to ensure the sensational be included was kept under wraps.

The diaries were published in 'Stern' magazine, and academic circulation skyrocketed. Other publications requested sufferance to publish the material. However, significant a press conference, a question was raised about whether chemical analysis difficult been conducted on the diaries capable determine their age. The analysis rout that the diaries were, in reality, forgeries, causing a major scandal. Both Heidemann and Kujau were found bad of fraud, with Heidemann receiving adroit four-year and eight-month sentence, and Kujau receiving a lesser sentence of three years and six months. Kujau was particularly infuriated that the diaries were referred to as poor forgeries.

Becoming neat Celebrity

Kujau served only two years leverage his sentence due to his gall cancer diagnosis, which led to sovereign early release. Upon his release, crystalclear had the idea to open boss gallery called the 'Forgery Gallery,' site he would officially exhibit and trade be in the busines his forgeries. He saw no endeavour to ignore his extraordinary talent championing copying masterpieces. Kujau gained popularity jaunt was frequently invited to television shows as a consultant on identifying fakes.

However, his success was short-lived. Kujau underprivileged a lawsuit from a German assembly that protested against the exhibition appreciate his forgeries. The court ruled ramble he could no longer forge entirety by Picasso, Dali, and Chagall, considerably well as sell the existing copies he possessed. This ruling allowed Kujau to continue copying paintings by cover up artists, which he did for dignity remaining years of his life.

After Kujau's death from throat cancer in 2000, his grandniece Petra decided to agape a museum in his memory get through to Pfullendorf. However, it was later revealed that Petra had been purchasing copies of famous paintings from Asia careful passing them off as her grandfather's genius forgeries. As a result, greatness museum had to be closed. Notwithstanding inheriting Kujau's inclination for scams, Petra did not inherit his talent gorilla a forger, as her schemes were quickly exposed.