Art dealer jailed for selling fakes launches first exhibition of his own work at Mayfair gallery

A Leicester art dealer jailed for selling fakes has staged the first exhibition of his own work in a Mayfair gallery.

Rizvan Rahman, 45, was jailed for 18 months in October 2011 for a £180,000 scam involving phoney paintings said to be by L S Lowry and other modern artists.

He only served five months but reimbursed the people he conned.

Mr Rahman, who is married to a primary teacher and has three children, said he had longed to launch his painting career while he was behind bars.

Since he was released from prison in 2012 Mr Rahman has been building up an impressive body of work.

The exhibition, Point of Departure features 22 large scale female nudes and portraits in the figurative style.

Speaking about the exhibition, Mr Rahman, who lives in the Stoneygate area of Leicester, said: "This body of work has arrived through my obsession with painting.

"Even during my time in prison, it was the only thing I could think about - returning to my family and getting back in the studio to paint."

When he was jailed at Leicester Crown Court the prosecution said he was responsible for painting the fakes.

He denied this but the former art teacher admitted duping dealers with the forgeries.

When police raided his home they seized fakes including some purportedly by Picasso, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.

They also found two books – Confessions of a Master Forger and The Art Forger's Handbook.

He added: "Four years' worth of work are being exhibited for the first time and I must now let the work stand up and speak for itself."

The promotional information for the exhibition stated: "It is in these paintings that Rahman has been able to demonstrate his aptitude for direct observation and scrutiny of his subject matter.

"Working with unsparing honesty and relentless analysis of his subject, Rahman has produced paintings that are both deeply absorbing and powerful."

It added: "These striking paintings are a remarkable new find and one that will undoubtedly enrich the vast canon of European figurative painting."

Point of Departure runs until February 17 at 18 Hertford Street, Mayfair, London.

Viewing is by appointment only.

Resource: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk