John Myatt
Genuine Fakes | Picasso | 2024

View the new collection of limited edition artworks and a selection of originals at our ICC - Birmingham gallery. Exhibiting now until the 23rd of November.

Years in the making, Myatt has utterly immersed himself in the life and mind of Picasso to interpret some of the most seminal works from the artist who redefined art as we know it.

Capturing his revolutionary spirit and masterful methods, Myatt has portrayed works from the distinct chapters of Picasso’s career, including his Blue, Rose, Cubist and Surrealist periods. Each period is marked by significant stylistic and thematic shifts, creating a narrative that reflects the evolution of twentieth-century art.

Myatt has devotedly sought to represent the works with the spirit Picasso would have originally intended, to honour the profound connection between Picasso’s life and work.

The collection features pieces inspired by Picasso’s lovers and his affection for his children, whilst others handle powerful themes including war, purity and female beauty. Each artwork has been framed in a style that is sympathetic to that of the original to recreate its initial character.

Myatt has been inspired by Picasso’s fearless experimentation, his ability to adapt, innovate, and defy artistic norms, for as long as he can remember.

At art school, Myatt discovered an exceptional talent for mimicking other artists' styles. 20 years later he became embroiled in what Scotland Yard call ‘the biggest art fraud of the 20th century’.

Since his release from prison in the 1990s, he has created showstopping artworks inspired by the greatest artists in history. Comparing himself to an actor immersing himself in a role, Myatt says he climbs into the mind of his chosen artist to adopt, allowing their work to hypnotise him. He doesn’t simply copy an image, he searches for the artist’s inspiration behind their view of the world.

Experimentation is key to recreating the spectrum of effects used across art history. Paintbrushes, sponge rollers, spray guns, coffee, brown umber and K-Y Jelly are just some of the materials Myatt has used in this collection.

An impressionist artist with a notable history, this is a unique opportunity to see one of the most significant collections in Myatt’s 40-year career.