Italian police have exposed a Europe-wide network of counterfeiters, specializing in copying works by world- famous artists such as Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Banksy.
According to The Guardian , the Italian Gendarmerie’s cultural heritage protection force and the Pisa City Prosecutor’s Office (Tuscany, Italy) issued a joint statement earlier this week saying that 38 people in Italy, Spain, France and Belgium were being investigated in connection with the network. These people are suspected of conspiring to sell stolen goods, counterfeiting and illegally trading in works of art.
The investigation began last year when Italian police seized 200 fake paintings from a businessman's collection in Pisa, including a copy of a painting by Italian artist Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (1884 - 1920). Through further investigation, police discovered 6 workshops specializing in counterfeiting paintings, including 3 workshops in Italy and the rest in other places in Europe. The suspects mainly forged paintings by Warhol and Banksy before connecting with Italian auction houses. The criminal group also organized 2 exhibitions and published a catalogue of Banksy's paintings at 2 famous locations in Mestre and Cortona (Italy). Banksy is an anonymous artist believed to be of British origin, famous for his murals on contemporary themes.
Fake paintings and sculptures seized by Italian authorities
A total of more than 2,100 fake paintings with an estimated market value of 200 million euros (5,395 billion VND) were seized. Teresa Angela Camelio, chief prosecutor of Pisa, said the operation had exposed a transnational network of counterfeiters linked to auction houses. She said Banksy experts had assisted in the investigation and called it the biggest operation to protect Banksy's works. Camelio also said that if the police had not discovered the network, the fake paintings could have been sold for nearly the same price as the artist's originals, leading to a major change in the auction market. The organization that represents and is responsible for authenticating Banksy's works has not commented on the operation.
Other artists whose works were forged in the scheme include 19th and 20th century artists such as Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dali and many others. In another case, authorities in Venice this year seized a fake Modigliani painting that was about to be sold for 300,000 euros. In 2017, police closed a Modigliani exhibition in Genoa after experts determined that at least 20 of the 21 paintings on display were fakes. Works by Banksy and Warhol have also attracted criminal attention. In September, two people were arrested and charged for stealing Banksy's famous Child with Balloon from an exhibition in London. This month, two Warhol works were stolen from a gallery in the Netherlands.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/y-phanh-phui-mang-luoi-lam-gia-tranh-picasso-banksy-185241112213622289.htm
Comment (0)