ZALCE FORGERIES
There is no doubt that the works of Maestro Zalce are being forged and that "his" signature is on art that was not produced by him.
I am not qualified to determine whether an artwork is or is not an authentic Zalce, nor do I personally know of anyone who is definitely qualified. Maestro Zalce is no longer authenticating his art. I would therefore advise potential purchasers to only purchase Zalce art if they can be very certain that the work was indeed produced by Maestro Zalce.
This beautiful engraving, called "Vendedora en Cuclillas," was produced
by Zalce in 1975. I purchased two such works from Maestro Zalce,
and one time while visiting him I asked if he would "colorize"
one of the works. Here you can see Maestro Zalce with his concept of how the work should look with
color.
In a Mexico City antique market, this (on right) is now being sold.
It IS SIGNED and sales people will tell you that it was done by Maestro Zalce in 1993. I will not say here that it is definitely not an
authentic Zalce, but I feel certain that there is nothing valid indicating that it IS his work.
What do YOU think? Purchase with
care!
In his studio Maestro Zalce once let me photograph
an original and a forgery of one of his tapistries, shown here. I didn't know which was
the forgery until he explained several differences, one of which was the very superior material
from which his tapistries are made, especially when compaired to the much lower weave quality and lower weight of the forgery (on the left).
Here is an oil painting, one of several I have seen, with an "Alfredo Zalce" signature (doesn't show well here, on right)
. I have sent this picture of the
work to several friends who know the work of Maestro Zalce very well, and none think that this
was really done by him. Some art that I have seen, signed with his signature, looks very much like
his work, and may or may not be his work, but again, purchase with care, i.e. ask for papers of authentication, know and have reason to trust the gallery or person from whom you purchase,
learn to identify Maestro Zalce's technique and style...
I don't know if this beautiful life-sized bronze torso should be considered a forgery or not. It is not offered as an original (yet), but is purchasable in Mexico City for $700 dollars as a Zalce reproduction. It is not signed by Maestro Zalce, although "Alfredo Zalce" is stamped on its base. It is not the fine quality of Maestro Zalce's statues--and Maestro Zalce no doubt received nothing from the sale of this and other unauthorized replicas of his bronze works.
Aquí hay una estatua "del Maestro Zalce" en venta en "e-Bay." Mira a su precio y da un vistaso a la replica (arriba). Crea usted que esta oferta es una obra original del Maestro Zalce?
Besides that, they copied their information about Maestro Zalce from "zalce.com".
Another forgery at an antique market, and beautifully framed.
This work is titled "Bodegón," which in English can mean a still-life, a wine cellar, or a tavern or inn. It is the only artwork included in the Houston Collection not obtained directly from Maestro Zalce, and I am 99% sure it is a forgery. It is used to illustrate forgeries of Maestro Zalce's art, and my feeling that any work not having been purchased directly from Maestro Zalce CAN BE a forgery. Bodegón looks very much like a Zalce original in many ways, because the artist who painted it copied other works of Maestro Zalce. It was painted by a good artist...but not by a great artist like Maestro Zalce. There are many ways to illistrate that it is NOT authentic even though it has papers of authenticity in "Maestro Zalce's own" handwriting (seen at left), it hung for sale as an original Zalce in a well-known art gallery, and its former
owner had a great tale as to how he purchased it directly from Maestro Zalce!
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