Elmyr de Hory (Hungarian/California, 1906-1976) "The Red Hat" oil on canvas board signed "Hory" upper right. Framed. 20" x 16", framed 25" x 21" Notes: The notorious forger Elmyr de Hory painted and successfully sold thousands of fake paintings and drawings of Picasso, Matisse, Renoir and Modigliani to museums and private collectors. Having eluded prosecution from Interpol, the FBI and Scotland Yard, he famously asked, "Who would prefer a bad original to a good fake?" De Hory's story has been retold in Clifford Irving's book Fake!, Orson Welles' documentary F for Fake and the recently released film Real Fake: The Art, Life & Crimes of Elmyr de Hory. Throughout his career, de Hory painted and signed his own original paintings as with this charming portrait of a woman in a red hat with a veil and lively feather.