At Regtransfers, we firmly believe that we have something for everyone. That claim, as you might imagine, attracts a broad spectrum of customers: people from all walks of life. We have supplied private number plates to celebrities, doctors, entrepreneurs, lawyers, hairdressers, tailors, convicted criminal forgers...
What? Ah, yes, the forgery thing.
David Henty is a legitimate artist. He did have a bit of a problem with the law some time ago when he was jailed for passport forgery, but he paid his debt to society and has been a free man for many years. Furthermore, while he was accommodated at Her Majesty's pleasure, Mr Henty worked at improving one of his skills. Admittedly that skill was faking the work of art's old masters, but he is now open about what he does and it really is a fascinating story.
To be honest, part of that story does involve a further period of incarceration, this time for selling stolen cars with forged registration documents, but let's move on.
A rare talent
Henty now sells what might be called tribute works, paintings in the style of people such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Lowry, Monet, Modigliani, Caravaggio and more. He doesn't deceive his clients by claiming they are the genuine article: instead, he sells them as what they are. Occasionally, people have tried to pass off Henty's work as that of the artist who inspired it. In 2019, one of Henty's "Picassos" was valued at £1m until he declared himself the artist and thus saved everyone a great deal of confusion.
He does also still paint copies of existing works, but not to sell under false pretences. There is a definite market for accurate, painted copies (rather than prints) of valuable pictures. There are many reasons such a piece may be required: one of the more obvious being to display where it may be considered too risky to hang the priceless original.
Hard to spot
Should one of these copies ever fall into disreputable hands, even the experts could have a hard time spotting that the painting is a reproduction, let alone proving it. The forger's toolbox is ingenious and comprehensive. As well as using the same colour palette that the original artist would have used, and sourcing old canvases and paints that would pass scrutiny for period authenticity, Henty has mastered a range of methods for ageing paintings. In the past he even went as far as to borrow a genuine 18th century smock to wear while painting a picture of that period. The smock ensured that any clothing fibres that may get into the paint as he worked would be consistent with the supposed age of the work. Using these and other methods means that even experts and carbon dating may struggle to reveal the copyist's role.
Seems legit
Despite all this trickery (or artistry, depending on how one views it), Henty is now embraced by the establishment, albeit perhaps a little warily. He has written a book, appeared in documentaries, been interviewed by magazines and newspapers, inspired characters in novels and had art exhibitions of his own.
David Henty's cheeky V9 OGH (Van Gogh) is perfect for a man of his talents and with his fascinating history. Of course, obtaining his number from Regtransfers, Mr Henty could be sure he was acquiring the genuine article and not a forgery.
"At the time, I was painting quite a few Van Gogh paintings. I am a huge fan of his works. It made me laugh seeing the number plate and thought I may wrap the car wing mirror with a bandage! [A reference to Van Gogh's bizarre decision to cut off part of his own left ear.] I love the personal number plate: it draws a smile from people. I have been stopped by people to talk about it.
"I also acquired V90 GHS, I often go on Regtransfers and have a browse!"
A last tip for the aspiring art collectors who may now be worried in case they unwittingly buy one of Mr Henty's extraordinary copies by mistake: buy a Frida Kahlo; apparently, David Henty has not yet got the hang of her style.
