Debt-Ridden Artist Faked Art

A British graphic designer who conned two respected art dealers into buying his forgeries of Victorian paintings has been sentenced to two years in prison. Robert Thwaites turned to producing fakes after he had had to give up his job because of poor eyesight and was unable to make enough money as an artist in his own name to pay for his son's education. He sold two works that were supposed to be by John Anster Fitzgerald. Rupert Maas, an art dealer who appears on "Antiques Roadshow," bought one for 20,000 pounds ($38,000), while the other sold at auction for 100,000 pounds ($190,000) to Christopher Beetles, a gallery owner. Thwaites was arrested after he and his brother Brian attempted to sell a third "Fitzgerald" to a buyer who recognized it as a forgery. Irish Art