“Made You Look: The True Story Of Fake Art” Is Fascinating Enough To Make You Watch

Pulling off the perfect con is an art - that’s why we call the best scammers “con artists” after all. The con person is like a paintbrush, a believable story is the canvas, and in Made You Look: The True Story Of Fake Art, Ann Freedman was the captive audience and willing investor. Freedman - with the endorsement of credible industry influencers - bought into what is considered one of the biggest scams known in art history, and Made You Look delves into how this situation unfolded with her testimony as the centerpiece. The question of Ann’s knowledge of the scam is judged by various subjects involved in and familiar with the case, but at the core of Made You Look is a fascinating mystery pertinent to this ergregious situation and the whole world of art as we know it.

Made You Look covers this art con from beginning to end. It involves alleged art dealer Glafira Rosales selling fake art by revered artists like Jackson Pollock, Motherwell, and Mark Rothko, among others to Ann Freedman well below market value over the course of a few decades during her tenure as President at the esteemed Knoedler Art Gallery. Ann then sold the fakes to buyers at vastly marked-up prices, bringing the gallery massive returns on the investments. Although Ann purports to have done her due diligence in authenticating the paintings, interviewees in Made You Look identify the red flags Ann overlooked in her dealings with Glafira and the glaring missteps in her handling of the situation. From there, it’s not hard for any attentive viewer to wonder, exactly how involved was Ann in this con?

Ann seems like a sweet lady, and her defense of her perspective throughout the film seems sincere and genuine. The conflict and struggle for the audience comes in measuring that meek yet likable personality against the mountain of damning circumstantial evidence against her. This, in fact, is what makes Made You Look feel so unique as a documentary; it pulls perspectives from across the spectrum of assigned responsibility, from completely innocent as Ann argues for herself to entirely guilty as her angiest clients, Dominico and Elenore De Sole, fervently assert.

Along that spectrum are art figureheads, lawyers, journalists, and even family and friends of the criminals weighing in on what transpired, how, and why. The array of viewpoins that director Barry Avrich manages to collect is impressive as these subjects all discuss their takes on the events that unfolded and try to rationalize Ann’s choices, some saying she was in on the scam with others pointing to confirmation biases leading Ann astray. All the while, Made You Look maintains a mysterious and mischievous tone, further enhancing the drama of it all.

So, was Ann Freedman guilty of fraud or was she just an extremely gullible victim? Made You Look signals that the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and the fun part is you get to decide where. The picture that Made You Look paints is an intricate one leaving viewers to ultimately marvel at it all, as any captivating story, great piece of art, or even the perfect con should accomplish.

Available to watch now for free for Netflix subscribers.

Thomas Stoneham-JudgeFebruary 24, 2021made you look, the true story of fake art, barry avrichComment