Italian police say they have broken up Europe’s biggest criminal network that creates and sells works of art by big names in contemporary art.
More than 2,100 fake works of art have been found, including works attributed to artists Banksy, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso.
Thirty-eight people have been arrested in connection with the forgeries, which had a potential market value of €200m (£165m; $213m).
Six fake dating sites were uncovered in the incident, including two in Tuscany, one in Venice and one elsewhere in Europe, Italian prosecutors added.
Those arrested face charges of conspiracy to handle stolen goods, forgery and illegal sale of works of art, the Carabinieri cultural team and the Pisa prosecutor’s office said in a joint statement on Monday.
The statement said authorities were tipped off in 2023 after seizing around 200 fake pieces from a businessman’s collection in Pisa, including a copy of a painting by Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani.
That discovery gave rise to the operation’s name, Cariatide.
Fake paintings allegedly made by more than 30 artists were seized in raids in Italy, Spain and Belgium, the statement said.
Other artists represented by this network include Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Henry Moore, Gustav Klimt, Joan Mirò, Jackson Pollock, Francis Bacon and Piet Mondrian.
The Chief Prosecutor of Pisa, Teresa Angela Camelio, said that experts believed that the project was a “great act of protection” for Banksy’s property.
This led to fake photos allegedly made by more than 30 famous musicians caught in raids in Italy, Spain and Belgium, the statement said.
Other artists represented by this network include Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Henry Moore, Gustav Klimt, Joan Mirò, Jackson Pollock, Francis Bacon and Piet Mondrian.
The Banksy Archive, the chief prosecutor of Pisa, Teresa Angela Camelio, said that this project is a great act to protect the work of Banksy. “
Banksy is one of the most famous artists in the world, but despite his worldwide following, his identity remains unknown, officially at least, and it’s not the first time his artwork has attracted criminals.
In September, two thieves were arrested and charged with stealing his famous piece Girl with Balloon from a central London art gallery.
Banksy’s art, which is often carved by the artist on public buildings, sometimes doesn’t stay smart for long.
The latest urban forest collectionwhich appeared over a series of days across London, saw its elephant striped, a wolf apparently stolen within hours, a cat taken down, and a tag spray painted on a rhinoceros.
Warhol’s work, too, has fallen in recent times. Earlier this month two of his artworks were stolen during a burglary at a gallery in the Netherlands.
Source link
