David Henty, an artist based in Saltdean near Brighton, has built a remarkable and controversial career as a master art forger. Rising early each day to engage in what he describes as a meditative process that connects him to the styles and techniques of great masters, Henty has produced works imitating artists such as Lowry, Picasso, Modigliani, Van Gogh, and Caravaggio. He claims a deep immersion in the styles of these painters, which, combined with painstaking research and technical skill, allows him to create highly convincing copies.
Henty’s home and studio are filled with replicas of famous paintings, including works attributed to Banksy, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Leonardo da Vinci. His reproductions have achieved significant commercial success, with pieces exhibited at the Helm Gallery in Brighton valued at millions when compared to the originals. Despite their high quality, Henty insists his creations are copies rather than forgeries intended to deceive. He marks each piece with phrases like “in the style of” or “after” the original artists, and his clients—ranging from footballers and hedge fund managers to billionaires and art collectors—are aware they are purchasing replicas.
The artist’s work has occasionally attracted unintended consequences. In 2016, a sketch by Henty, signed playfully as “To Roland from Pablo” (referencing Picasso’s friend Roland Penrose), was mistakenly put up for auction at a Brighton event with an estimated value of £1 million. Upon realizing the mistake, Henty revealed the work’s true origin, leading to the cancellation of the sale and a conflict with the auction broker. More recently, a set of paintings in the style of Jean-Michel Basquiat appeared with authentic provenance and price tags in the tens of millions, though Henty confirmed these were copies he had created without intending to mislead.
Henty’s history is marked by brushes with the law. In the mid-1990s, he spent five years in prison for manufacturing counterfeit British passports aimed at Hong Kong citizens, followed by further incarceration in Spain related to stolen vehicles. His early life was shaped by a tumultuous upbringing in a working-class family in Brighton, where crime was commonplace and discipline limited.
His formal study of art deepened during his time in prison, where he took art classes and immersed himself in the techniques of old masters. This education, combined with years of examining artworks in galleries and auction houses, contributed to his ability to reproduce paintings with historical pigments, authentic materials, and aging effects. Henty employs a range of methods to ensure his copies bear the visual characteristics of aged originals, from chemical treatments to environmental aging techniques.
Despite his notoriety and the legal issues surrounding some of his activities, Henty has never been prosecuted for art forgery itself. Following a 2014 media investigation, he was banned from trading on eBay, though legal authorities acknowledged that, technically, he was not breaking the law since his works were sold openly as replicas.
Henty’s business now caters to a wealthy clientele who seek high-quality copies either because they cannot afford originals, or because they wish to display replicas while securing the authentic artworks elsewhere. His clientele reportedly includes prominent figures in finance and sports, as well as influential social circles in the UK.
While his work raises complex ethical questions, Henty dismisses guilt, viewing his art primarily as a form of entertainment and craft. He continues to maintain an active presence in the art world, with exhibitions in the UK and plans for shows abroad, alongside media portrayals and literary adaptations inspired by his life and work.