Michelangelo was 'skilled forger', claims art historian

An art historian has revealed that Michelangelo was a skilled forger, who made copies of major works before ageing them with smoke and swapping them for the originals.

According to Thierry Lenain, art historian at the Institut Francais in London, and author of 'Art Forgery: The History of the Modern Obsession,' Michelangelo forged artworks in order to obtain the originals from their owners by giving them the copies, the Independent reported.

Lenain said at the VIEW festival of art history that Michelangelo admired the originals for the excellence of their art and sought to surpass them.

He claimed that Michelangelo's copies earned him great notoriety, which helped him in turn launch his career.