Italian authorities have recently dismantled a major forgery ring spanning several European countries, revealing an extensive network involved in the production and sale of fake artworks attributed to some of the most famous names in modern and contemporary art, including Banksy, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol. The operation, conducted by Italy’s Carabinieri Art Squad in collaboration with prosecutors from Pisa, led to investigations of 38 individuals across Italy, Spain, France, and Belgium. These individuals are suspected of various crimes, including conspiracy to handle stolen goods, art forgery, and illegal sale of counterfeit artworks.
According to Teresa Angela Camelio, the chief prosecutor of Pisa, experts from the Banksy archive, who assisted in the investigation, hailed the operation as “the biggest act of protection of Banksy’s work.” Pest Control, the organization that manages Banksy’s affairs, also issued a statement emphasizing that the artist’s works are often targeted by forgers and urging potential buyers to be wary of “expensive fakes” when purchasing art attributed to Banksy.
The network was not limited to Banksy forgeries alone. Investigators uncovered a wide range of fakes attributed to iconic 19th- and 20th-century artists such as Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dalí, Henry Moore, Marc Chagall, Francis Bacon, Paul Klee, and Piet Mondrian. These fakes were sold to unsuspecting buyers, including through auction houses across Italy.
The investigation initially began in 2023 when Italian authorities seized approximately 200 counterfeit pieces from the collection of a businessman in Pisa, one of which was a forged drawing by the Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani. This discovery led investigators to uncover further fake artworks linked to a group known for specializing in forgeries of works by Banksy and Warhol.
As the investigation unfolded, authorities discovered six separate forgeries workshops, two of which were located in Tuscany, Italy, with the remainder situated in various European countries. The authorities also revealed that the suspects organized two fraudulent Banksy exhibitions in prestigious locations in Italy, in Mestre near Venice and Cortona in Tuscany, complete with published catalogues designed to boost the legitimacy of their forged works.
In total, more than 2,100 fake artworks were seized, with a total estimated market value of approximately €200 million ($215 million). This operation has been seen as a significant blow against the growing problem of art forgery in the modern art world, and particularly in protecting the integrity of Banksy’s works.
The discovery of this large-scale forgeries ring serves as a warning to collectors and art buyers to be cautious and ensure the authenticity of artworks before making expensive purchases, as the market for counterfeit art continues to grow.
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