Chimp artist hoax

[snopes]

Comment: There is a rumor that in 1964 a monkey fooled art experts.
Newsmen from Sweden's Goteborgs-Tidningen obtained some paintings by
Peter, a four-year-old chimp at the Boras zoo. They hung the paintings in
a gallery, claiming they were the work of avant-garde artist Pierre
Brassau. Soon the works were drawing critical acclaim. One critic wrote:
"Brassau paints with powerful strokes, but also with clear determination.
His bursh strokes twist with furious fastidiousness. Pierre is an artist
who performs with the delicacy of a ballet dancer" Unfortunately I haven't
been able to out the real story. . .do you know?

[vison]

If it's not true, it should be.

[ganzfeld]

The bulk of the OP comment is copied directly from this Museum of Hoaxes weblog entry:
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/w...comments/3836/

The story was reported in Time Magazine in 1964:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...870835,00.html

[Richard W]

It doesn't have to be a "hoax" of course - Congo the chimp (1954 - 1964) fetches up to £12 000 for a canvas and it's rumoured that both Picasso and Miro owned one:

Dead Chimp's Art Sells Big
Bidders go ape for chimpanzee art

The original exhibition was in 1957, so before the rumour above. There's no indication that they pretended the pictures were by human artists, and that doesn't seem to have been part of the purpose.

More art, by Michael and Koko the gorillas, and an elephant called Siri

[Floater]

Ah, Pierre Brasseau, I remember the story well. His artist's name was derived from his real name Peter and the town of Borås, where he lived. As for his artwork, they were really quite good abstract paintings that could have fooled, and obviously did, anybody.

[High Eight]

Originally Posted by Richard W

It doesn't have to be a "hoax" of course - Congo the chimp (1954 - 1964) fetches up to £12 000 for a canvas and it's rumoured that both Picasso and Miro owned one:

Dead Chimp's Art Sells Big
Bidders go ape for chimpanzee art

The original exhibition was in 1957, so before the rumour above. There's no indication that they pretended the pictures were by human artists, and that doesn't seem to have been part of the purpose.

More art, by Michael and Koko the gorillas, and an elephant called Siri

According to Desmond Morris' autobiography ('Animal Days') he presented Miro with a Congo painting and got an original sketch in return.