Authenticity, Originality and the Copy: Questions of Truth and Authorship in the Work of Mark Landis, Elizabeth Durack, and Richard Prince A thesis submitted to the Division of Research and Advanced Studies of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Art History Program of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning April 2012 by Rebekah Catherine Shipe BA, Lycoming College, 2009 Committee Chair: Morgan Thomas, Ph.D. Reader: Kimberly Paice, Ph.D. Reader: Vincent Sansalone Abstract As contemporary artists transgress accepted definitions of authenticity and challenge ideas of originality and creativity, we must re-evaluate our understanding of these concepts. By focusing on three illuminating case studies, I examine how recent practices complicate basic concepts of authorship and artistic truth. Chapter One explores the case of art forger, Mark Landis (b. 1955), to illuminate the ambiguity of the copy and the paradoxical aura of forgeries in the wake of postmodernism. Focusing on the case of Australian artist Elizabeth Durack (1915-2000), who created and exhibited paintings under the fictitious persona of an Aboriginal artist, Eddie Burrup, Chapter Two links the controversies surrounding her work to key theoretical explorations of aura, reproducibility, and originality. Chapter Three deals with the self-conscious deployment of postmodern notions of originality and authorship in the re-photographed photographs of notorious ‘appropriation artist’ Richard Prince (b. 1949). The thesis aims to draw out a number of key patterns with regard to notions of the copy, authenticity, and originality in contemporary culture: the slipperiness of the line drawn between the fake and the original (for example, a kind of excess of ‘uniqueness’ that carries over into the copy); the material interplay between ‘old’ technologies such as painting and new reproductive (e.g. digital) visual technologies in the manufacture and/or counterfeiture of artistic authenticity; and the ambivalence of media narratives relating to appropriation, forgery, and the copy. ii iii Acknowledgements The nature of forgeries has always been a fascinating subject and when an opportunity arose for me to do expanded research on the subject, I knew it was what I was meant to do. Working for DAAP Galleries as a graduate assistant I was privy to the gallery exhibition schedule, planned a year in advance. In the spring of 2011 the idea was presented that DAAP Galleries would do an exhibition on a modern forger, providing me with the opportunity to not only be a research assistant but to also handle the fake works firsthand. The seed for my thesis was planted and ideas only grew from there. Faced with a research topic that was very new to me, my thesis advisor Dr. Morgan Thomas provided a tremendous wealth of information for me. I am most grateful for her interest in my topic, her constructive criticism, and encouragement. Morgan’s knowledge on this subject has opened my eyes to new topics and because of her dedication to her students, removed my fear of critical theory. I would like to also thank my committee members, Dr. Kimberly Paice and Professor Vincent Sansalone for their helpful suggestions and genuine interest in my topic. I cannot thank them enough for their time, and for their efforts to help me improve my thesis. I have learned so much from both of them and am truly thankful for all they have taught me. I am grateful for my new Cincinnati friends and classmates Amy Dunham, Lindsay Hagen, Ashton Tucker, and Chris Reeves, for their senses of humor and endless support. A special thanks to, Sarah Wingerden, Samantha Setterlin, and Kathryn West for their friendship, support, and ability to lovingly handle my anxiety. That being said, iv special thanks must go to my cat, Luna Tuna, for her unconditional love and purrs of comfort on those incredibly stressful days. Many thanks and lots of love goes to my boyfriend, Dominic Brigano, for his continuous support, patience, and encouragement. He reminded me of how important my goals are and why it’s important to love what you do. Again, many thanks and lots of love goes to my sister Meghan Krimbill. Her constant care packages and loving reassurance made me smile and reminded me of the importance of perspective. Finally, to my parents Charles and Julie Shipe, I cannot thank you enough for your continued support of my love of academia and for always believing in me. I would like to dedicate this study to you both. Without your love and encouragement I would not be where I am today. v Table of Contents List of Illustrations……………………………………………………………………….vii Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter One……………………………………………………………………………….5 Chapter Two……………………………………………………………………………...19 Chapter Three…………………………………………………………………………….43 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….62 Illustrations………………………………………………………………………………66 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………..…99 vi List of Illustrations 1. Mark Landis (Donated under the name Father Arthur Scott), Portrait of a Woman Playing a Lute, c. 1590; 2011 (Source: Photograph by Michael Everett). 2. Mark Landis after Paul Signac, Double-boat watercolor (Source: Photograph by Michael Everett). 3. Mark Landis after Marie Laurencin, Self-Portrait (Source: Photograph by Michael Everett). 4. Mark Landis after Stanislas Lepine, Laborers of the Trocaderos, oil on panel, 5 5/8 x 9 ¼ in., 1890; 2008 (Source: Photograph by Michael Everett). 5. Mark Landis (Donated under the name Father Arthur Scott), Three Women after Charles Courtney Curran, Ink jet print mounted on oak pane with pigment and varnish coating, 5 7/16 x 9 9/16 x 7/16 in. (Source: Gapper, John. “The Forger’s Story.” http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/5905c640-2359-11e0-8389- 00144feab49a.html#axzz1q3ykN28X, accessed March 24, 2012)). 6. Mark Landis after Marie Laurencin, Untitled, Digital print and oil on canvas, 11 ¼ x 9 3/16 in. (Source: Photograph by Michael Everett). 7. Mark Landis (Donated under the name Father James Brantley) after Hans van Aachen, Holy Family with St. Anne, Oil on copper, 1590s; 2011 (Source: Photograph by Michael Everett) 8. Elizabeth Durack,‘…They Came Upon the Flying Foxes Further Down the River’, illustration from The Way of the Whirlwind, 1939, Gouache on paper, 79 x 54 cm, Collection of the artist (Source: Durack, Elizabeth. The Art of Elizabeth Durack. Sydney, Australia: Angus & Robertson, 1982). 9. Elizabeth Durack, The Elders of the Tribe (from the series, “The Cord to Alcheringa”), 1953, Earth pigment on board, 88 x 112 cm, University of Western Australia Art Collection (number three in series) (Source: The Estate of Elizabeth Durack. “The Official Website of Elizabeth Durack.” http://www.elizabethdurack.com/ (accessed March 26, 2012)). 10. Elizabeth Durack, The Transformation (from the series, “The Legend of the Black Swan”), 1956, Oil on wood, 180 x 91 cm, Collection of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth (Source: Durack, The Art of Elizabeth Durack). 11. Elizabeth Durack, The Wonderment of the Women (from the series, “The Legend of the Black Swan”), 1956, Oil on wood, 180 x 91 cm, Collection of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth (Source: Durack, The Art of Elizabeth Durack). vii 12. Elizabeth Durack, Figures in Landscape, 1961, Enamel and dammar on board, 69 x 91cm, Collection Art Gallery of Western Australia (Source: Durack, The Art of Elizabeth Durack). 13. Elizabeth Durack, The Rim, the Rim of our Brittle and Disintegrating World…, 1974, Goache and acrylic on paper, 60 x 93 cm, Private collection, Perth (Source: Durack, The Art of Elizabeth Durack). 14. Elizabeth Durack, Crossings are Made Alone and Encumbered… (Diptych), 1976, Acrylic on paper, 91 x 60 cm, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. M.F. Clancy, Queensland (Source: Durack, The Art of Elizabeth Durack). 15. Elizabeth Durack, Flightless Birds Achieve Lift-off (No. 1 of a sequence of 10), 1975, Mixed media, Each 92 x 122 cm, Private Collection, Perth (Source: Durack, The Art of Elizabeth Durack). 16. Elizabeth Durack, In the Beginning…(Genesis 1), 1997, Mixed media on linen, Diptych, each 190 x 92 cm, From the estate of Elizabeth Durack (Source: The Estate of Elizabeth Durack. “The Official Website of Elizabeth Durack.”). 17. Elizabeth Durack, The Border (from The Rim series), 1976, Mixed media on paper on composition board, 100 x 75 cm, Private collection (Source: The Estate of Elizabeth Durack. “The Official Website of Elizabeth Durack.”). 18. Elizabeth Durack as Eddie Burrup, Signals from Howling Dog Rock, 1998, Mixed media on canvas, 148 x 95 cm, From the estate of Elizabeth Durack (Source: The Estate of Elizabeth Durack. “The Official Website of Elizabeth Durack.”). 19. Elizabeth Durack as Eddie Burrup, Djanba!, 1996, Resiste, acrylic, and ochre on canvas, 200 x 100 cm, From the estate of Elizabeth Durack (Source: The Estate of Elizabeth Durack. “The Official Website of Elizabeth Durack.”). 20. Elizabeth Durack as Eddie Burrup, Mulunga the Hook, 1996, Resiste, acrylic, and, ochre on arches paper, 76 x 56 cm, From the estate of Elizabeth Durack (Source: The Estate of Elizabeth Durack. “The Official Website of Elizabeth Durack.”). 21. Richard Prince, Untitled (Cowboy), 1989, Ektacolor photograph, 50 x 75 in. (Source: Prince, Richard. “Paintings.” http://www.richardprince.com/photographs/cowboys/ (accessed March 27, 2012)). 22. Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still no. 3, 1977, Collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York. (Source: The Museum of Modern Art. “The Complete Untitled Film Stills of Cindy Sherman.” http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/ sherman/ (accessed March 26, 2012)). viii 23. Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still no. 14, 1978 (Source: Crimp, Douglas. “Pictures.” October 8 (1979): 75-88, http://www.jstor.org/stable/778227 (accessed October 12, 2011)). 24. Sherrie Levine, Untitled (After Edward Weston), 1980, Photograph, 8 x 10 in. (Source: Foster, Hal. Art Since 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2004). 25. Richard Prince, Spiritual America by Richard Prince, a Photograph of Brooke Shields by Gary Gross, 1983 (Source: Goetz, Sammlung.