Lawrence Weschler: Counterfeiting Arrests

Posted by admin on Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Lawrence Weschler Money Quote talking about the controversial money art of J.S.G. Boggs (who died this week at 62 in Florida) and was repeatedly arrested for counterfeiting while attempting to “spend” his artistic representations of money. Lawrence Weschler said:
 

 

“He could seem authentically dumbfounded whenever he got arrested for counterfeiting. He was just short of being a con man, but no more than anyone in the art world, or for that matter in the world of finance, which of course, was his whole point” — Lawrence Weschler

 

 

This quote seems to be commenting on the blurred lines between authenticity and deception in different fields like art, finance, and law enforcement. The man being described could convincingly act surprised and confused whenever he got arrested for counterfeiting money, even though it was something he deliberately did. So he was almost like a con man in how he presented himself.

The quote then draws a parallel, saying he was “just short of being a con man, but no more than anyone in the art world.” This implies that people in the art world also engage in a degree of deception or inauthenticity to promote their work. It further adds that the same is true “in the world of finance.”

The overall point, as stated in the quote, is that deception and blurred lines between truth and fiction exist to some extent in many fields, including art, finance and even law enforcement. Acting confused when facing the consequences of one’s own deliberate illegal acts could be seen as a kind of deception or con. And this kind of behavior is arguably no different from promotional tactics commonly used in other professional worlds like art and finance.