Art and Craft

2014

Documentary

2
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 74% · 46 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 74% · 1K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.1/10 10 1885 1.9K

woman director

Plot summary

For several decades, gifted and incredibly prolific forger Mark Landis compulsively created impeccable copies of works by a variety of major artists, donating them to institutions across the country and landing pieces on many of their walls. ART AND CRAFT brings us into the cluttered and insular life of an unforgettable character just as he finds his foil in an equally obsessive art registrar.

Director

Sam Cullman Photo
Sam Cullman

Top cast

Matthew Leininger Photo
Matthew Leininger as Self - registrar, Cincinnati Art Museum
Donna English Photo
Donna English as Self - Mark A. Landis' former caseworker
John Gasper Photo
John Gasper as Self - associate editor and chief business commentator, Financial Times
Patty Hall Photo
Patty Hall as Self - Hattiesburg Arts Council
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
824.69 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 29 min
Seeds 1
1.49 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 29 min
Seeds 1

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by blanche-2 7 / 10

bizarre

"Art and Craft" from 2014 is about art forger Mark Landis.Mark Landis is an odd person with ears that stick out. He looks like he's about 70, except at the time of the film, he was 59. He speaks softly, sometimes in incomplete thoughts. And he has a strange hobby. He copies art and donates the art to museums, taking no money or tax deduction, and claims that it was his mother or sister Emily's wish that the museum have this particular piece. He doesn't have a sister Emily.After years, an art registrar, Mark Leininger, caught onto him as he was doing his due diligence on some of the donated art. He realized that there were as many as six copies of the same painting donated around the country. He actually hasn't broken any laws because it was up to the museum experts whether or not to accept the art.Leininger decided to give Landis an art show, where viewers would be able to see the frauds and learn about them. Leininger said that he had no idea what he would say when he saw him - what he said was, "Glad to see you." He's such an unassuming man, you can't see him as evil. And he isn't. Mischievous maybe.The documentary is really remarkable - to see this man put on a priest collar - he gave away art using several aliases, pick up a briefcase, and, slumped over, walk to his car and go to the next museum. One of Leininger's theories about Landis is that he likes putting one over on the experts. He was encouraged at the show to display his talent by painting his own original works.An only child, Landis was very close to both of his parents and had a nervous breakdown when his father died. He took care of his mother after Katrina, and her death is still very upsetting to him. His apartment is filled with her things and photos. He now goes to Menninger Clinic and sees a psychiatrist there and receives medication. He's a sad man, but doing the art work gives him adventures.The most interesting thing about this documentary is Landis himself, though seeing how he does the forgeries is fascinating. He is very talented, and he gives the copy place a lot of business (he does a lot with copying things to different sizes).Recommended -- no question, he's an oddball. Not sure what he's doing now - he said at the end he really can't continue giving away art work, now that everyone has his number. But he did put on that priest collar...don't put anything past him.
Reviewed by powellben-28206 8 / 10

Strange but captivating

This documentary serves as two very interesting character studies. One on Mark Landis, showing us his recreations of classic art pieces, why he does it, and small aspects of his personal life. The other being the man who is set out to find Landis and get him to stop. Landis is obsessed with his forgeries. While the man set to find him is just as obsessed with stopping him. Overall very enjoyable. I definitely recommend it.
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