FOR years he made a living downplaying his own skill - but now he is going straight and putting his own name out front.

Master copyist David Henty made healthy sums copying famous artworks and selling them without telling buyers he had painted them.

Now he is putting his own name to his copies of works by masters such as Van Gogh and LS Lowry - with an exhibition of his work.

The Art of Copying, at No Walls Gallery 114 Church St, Brighton, was opened by best-selling crime author Peter James.

Mr Henty features in Mr James' upcoming book on the real-life stories that have featured in his Detective Roy Grace series.

It was while in prison in the 1990s for forging passports that Mr Henty said he learned to paint.

He spends months studying an artist and getting paints similar to the ones they used, replicating the work of Modigliano, Picasso, and other greats.

Among his works is a replica of Picasso's the Women of Algiers, which sold for £102.6m at Christie's last year.

Mr Henty said: "Copying is very disciplined because if you don't get it right then it's no good."

He will paint a maximum of 10 copies of the same original in his lifetime, so as not to devalue his work, and says his paintings are micro-chipped and come with an authenticity certificate.

"I don't want anyone faking me," he added.

Today is the last time you can see The Art of Copying at No Walls Gallery.