Picasso and Warhol paintings counterfeited: network of fraudsters exposed in Italy.

Italian police uncovered a large network of art forgers

In Italy, a large network of art forgers that operated throughout Europe has been exposed. They produced and sold fake paintings by famous artists from different historical periods. The police confiscated over 2100 counterfeit paintings. According to estimates, if these paintings had been sold as genuine, their total value would have been around $165 million. This was reported by Reuters.

Italian police uncovered a pan-European network of counterfeiters who created and sold fake works of art, attributing them to famous artists such as Banksy, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol

During the investigation, the police found six workshops that were involved in creating fakes. Three of them were in Italy, and the other three were in other European countries. To give the counterfeits a museum history, they held two Banksy exhibitions, featuring both genuine works and fakes, in prestigious halls in Italy, and released catalogs.

The investigation involved 38 people from Italy, Spain, France, and Belgium.

Pisa police reported that the investigation started in 2023 when about 200 counterfeits, including a painting attributed to Amedeo Modigliani, were discovered in the collection of a local businessman. The police were able to trace the trade in counterfeits at auctions in Italy and link them to the network of forgers.

It is worth noting that the National Reserve 'Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra' will now house a graffiti by the famous global artist Banksy 'Woman in a Gas Mask'. This Banksy work is a symbol of horror and protest against Russian war crimes in Ukraine. In Lavra, which has finally freed itself from spiritual dispute, the graffiti will be stored in 'open storage'.