The Art Forger

Claire and Markel have begun a passionate love affair. She purchases a new bed since their primary chance to get together is during his visits to her studio. Although Claire feels strongly about Markel, she does not want the relationship to become public, lest someone suspect that her upcoming show at Markel G is due to favoritism. One day, the pair are lounging in the studio when the news announces that After the Bath, missing since the Gardner Museum heist in 1990, has been discovered in a shipment of blue jeans headed from San Francisco to India. They know immediately that the discovered painting is Claire’s copy; the buyer was an Indian man. Claire begins to panic, while Markel reassures her that their ruse is still far from being discovered.

The “rediscovered” painting is all over the news, and Claire cannot stop thinking about what will happen if she gets caught. At the same time, she has a solo exhibition to prepare for. Markel offers her a time slot just a few months in the future, during the Christmas season when the art market is good. She begins to visit his gallery and become more public about their professional relationship, although she still asks him to keep their romantic entanglements private.