Directed by Barry Avrich, Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art plays out more like a character study than a true crime investigation. Rather than glamorizing an Asian forger who copied the work of famous artists, the 90-minute Netflix documentary explores the complicity of interviewee Ann Freedman, the former director of New York City’s Knoedler Gallery. Made You Look could easily have been subtitled “The Art of the Hustle,” as Avrich implies that the alleged central mark may indeed be the genius of the operation.
In 1995, Freedman began a business relationship with art dealer Glafira Rosales, a Long Island native who acquired work from private collectors in Europe. Made You Look documents the provenance process, in which the Knoedler Gallery attempted to verify paintings by Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock and other high-profile abstract artists. Nearly two decades later, the FBI discovered that Rosales and her Spanish boyfriend José Carlos Bergantiños Diaz had been colluding with Pei-Shen Qian, a Queens math professor and master forger. Made You Look includes on-camera testimonies from Freedman, Diaz and various art critics who theorize about the specifics of the long-term con.
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Aesthetically, Made You Look features an impressive opening title sequence. There’s a James Bond-like vibe as bold colors splash across a black backdrop, with “Secrets and Lies” by Ruelle teasing the central mystery. From there, the Netflix doc settles into a familiar formula, with a jumpy score amplifying the tension and news clips providing context for time and place. Avrich also places white text over black for full-screen segment IDs, and there seems like a missed opportunity to build upon the opening’s stylish design. Plus, the font size feels a bit aggressive; a heavy contrast to the fluid open.
Made You Look reveals the forger’s identity in the first act, which takes away from the suspense. Avrich explains the aging process for the fake art, however the sequence feels better suited for the last 30 minutes when the director attempts to locate Qian in China. Because Freedman is so intriguing as an interview subject, there’s enough mystery to keep the first half moving along without immediately delving into the logistics of the con. However, the forger reveal does indeed complement the provenance aspect of the story, and thus establishes sympathy for Feedman, or at least suggests that maybe she had been specifically targeted as a mark.
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As so many interviewees point out, it’s hard to believe that Freedman didn’t participate in Rosales’ scheme. Someone in her position should’ve noticed obvious tells in the fake art (i.e. misspelled artist signatures), along with holes in the dealer’s “Mr. X” story. However, Made You Look shows that Freedman did actually take the appropriate steps to verify the art, and maybe just refused to believe that she had done anything wrong. From a psychological perspective, Freedman’s body language implies that she is indeed innocent, while Diaz’s behavior suggest that he’s unashamedly guilty. When viewed as a character study, Made You Look is the rare art documentary that has a re-watchable quality. If Freedman is complicit, then she’s hiding it quite well.
Q.V. Hough (@QVHough) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.
Categories: 2020s, 2021 Film Reviews, Crime, Documentary, Featured, Film Reviews, Netflix Originals, Streaming Originals
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