The Monument Arts and Culture Center in Bennington is preparing to open a new exhibit telling the story of a famous Saturday Evening Post painting by Norman Rockwell, a nearly-perfect hoax, and a hidden masterpiece squirreled away for 30 years behind a fake wall in Arlington. Don Trachte Jr., the son of a famous illustrator, discovered the hidden masterpiece behind a bookcase in his father’s house in 2006. The exhibit in Bennington sets up a detailed timeline and recounts the events and art associated with the fascinating story. The story begins with five famous artists living in a small town in Arlington, who created over 270 Saturday Evening Post covers between 1939 and 1955. Trachte Sr., the cartoonist and author of the popular “Henry” comic strip, acquired several paintings by prominent Arlington artists. After his passing, a portrait artist discovered that one of the Rockwell paintings was a fake. Trachte’s sons later discovered the original Rockwell painting hidden in their father’s house. The museum embraced the story and the painting was eventually sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $15.4 million, a record at that time for a Rockwell painting. The exhibit will feature original paintings side by side with the copies painted by Trachte, as well as artifacts including the check Trachte used to purchase Rockwell’s painting. The exhibit opens on Nov. 4 at the Monument Arts and Cultural Center in Bennington. Don Trachte Jr. hopes that people who come through the exhibit will understand and appreciate the incredible story behind the discovery of the hidden masterpiece.

Source: https://www.reformer.com/local-news/new-exhibit-details-rockwell-deception-hidden-behind-arlington-wall/article_c415b5d0-7337-11ee-be4b-3b2962e6786d.html