Han van Meegeren: The Forger Who Fooled the Nazis

Facing execution for selling a Vermeer to Hermann Goering, Dutch painter Han van Meegeren saved his own life by proving he was one of the most prolific forgers in history.This episode dissects the anatomy of his deception, the chemistry, the psychology, and the revenge that let him fool elite critics and become an unlikely national hero.A belittling childhood and rejection by modern art criticsBaking Bakelite-laced paint to fake centuries of agingPainting Supper at Emmaus to match experts' unproven theoriesTrading a fake to Goering for 137 looted artworksIsotope and chemical tests that finally proved the fraud