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In 1984 the real estate agent, art dealer, auctioneer and wine shop proprietor was accused of forging several art works - notably the works of Charles F. Goldie. Jerome Cvitanovich speaks with New Zealand's first convicted art forger, Karl Sim.
Carl explains the only thing he was good at in school was drawing and kept all his work from High School and Technical College master classes with H. Lynley Richardson. After setting up business in Foxton an art dealer friend pinched some of these early copies of famous drawings and paintings by Charles F. Goldies, John Weeks and Horatio Robley, forged their related artist signatures and successfully sold them. The result prompted them to begin an on-going partnership scam.
Some of Carl's Goldies, painted on Grumbacher, were identified as fakes by an Auckland art dealer who happend to be an expert on artist papers and testified in his court case years later. He describes techniques used to re-create foxing marks on paper and fashionable painters he copied, including Rita Angus, Frances Hodgkins, W.G. Baker and Petrus van der Velden.
He retells how the 'experts' at Wellington City Art Gallery bought the back story to his paintings and added them to their collection. Using aged wall paper he produced landscapes 'by' Nicholas Chevalier which also sold well. Although not an admirer of Colin McCahon's work (he only sold one) he explains how he felt guilty creating McCahon paintings because he was 'alive recently' and probably a 'very nice joker'.
At one of his popular art and antique auctions Carl describes how he had to sabotage the sale of a fake McCahon painting because the price hit the ridiculous hundreds and it had only been a friend's child's kindergarten class painting.
Carl says he never made much money, the dealers were the ones that made the money but his motivation came from beating the system. He recognised that he 'over did it' with all these famous works and the publicity that came with their sale.
Suspicions were aroused and a devoted Goldie fan and expert from Lower Hutt identified his fakes which eventuated in a High Court Hearing. The result of the trial was a fine of $1000 and 200 hours community work which included painting the interior of the Foxton Borough Council Chambers.
Carl knows his works are still in circulation as he spotted two old drawings in an art sale recently. Following his trial in 1986 Karl Theodore Sim changed his name to C.F. Goldie and continues to produce artworks under that name.