Italian authorities have successfully dismantled a network of European art forgers who specialized in creating fake works attributed to renowned artists such as Warhol, Banksy, and Picasso. This operation involved the collaboration of 38 individuals, with six of them located in Spain, France, and Belgium. The network's illicit activities were estimated to have caused economic damage amounting to 200 million euros ($212 million) by flooding the art market with counterfeit pieces.
The seizures conducted in Italy, France, Spain, and Belgium resulted in the confiscation of 2,100 fake artworks attributed to over 30 famous artists, including Andy Warhol, Amedeo Modigliani, Banksy, Pablo Picasso, Joan Mirò, Francis Bacon, Wassily Kandinsky, Henry Moore, and Gustav Klimt. Eurojust, the European Union agency for judicial cooperation, revealed that forgers based in Spain, France, and Belgium were responsible for producing these fake works.
Notably, fake Warhols and Banksys were among the most commonly forged pieces. The counterfeit artworks were even displayed at exhibitions in Mestre and Cortona, Italy, with a catalog published to promote them. The network managed to utilize complicit auction houses in Italy, which issued forged certificates and stamps of authenticity. Authorities seized around 500 of these fake certificates during the operation.
The investigation commenced in March 2023 when Italian authorities uncovered 200 fake artworks during a search at the residence of a businessman in Pisa. This discovery prompted officials to monitor e-commerce platforms of auction houses to identify other individuals involved in the network. Those arrested are facing charges of conspiracy to forge and deal in contemporary art, as confirmed by Eurojust.
