A painting by a chimp was passed off as modern art by a French artist.

They say art, like magnificence, is in the vision of the beholder. A few could even believe that a chimpanzee’s paintings are of the caliber of, say, French artist Pierre Brassau. Never discovered him? That’s because he’s not necessarily true! Let us reveal. A Swedish journalist put together the theory to come up with some paintings by simply famous French artist Pierre Brassau. The catch was…there was no artist called Pierre Brassau. The paintings were just about all done by a chimpanzee.

The journalist wanted to see if he could fool critics into thinking that the work was “modern avant-garde” masterpieces. It worked! One critic even said, “Brassau paints with powerful strokes, but also with clear determination. His brush strokes twist with furious fastidiousness. Pierre is an artist who performs with the delicacy of a ballet dancer.” When the hoax was revealed, the critic back-peddled and said he still thought the painting was the best in the exhibition. It was bought by a private collector for $90.