Police discovered fake Picassos and Rembrandts in Rome

Police discovered fake Picassos and Rembrandts in Rome

Italian police have ensured dozens of fake works of art that are attributed to famous artists such as Picasso and Rembrandt. This happened in an environment known as the "secret painting laboratory", as the authorities reported.

Investigations by Carabinieri

The investigation, led by the Carabinieri command to protect the cultural heritage, the country's art and cultural police, as well as coordinated with the public prosecutor's office in Rome, were initiated when the authorities began to look for fraudulent works of art that were offered for sale online. This emerges from a press release from the police.

discovery of fake paintings

The police secured a total of 71 paintings and stated that the suspect sold "hundreds of works with dubious authenticity" on platforms such as Ebay and Catawiki. The fake works of art included paintings that were attributed to Picasso and Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.

other famous artists under the counterfeits

In addition, fake works were discovered as from Mario Puccini, Giacomo Balla and Afro Basaldella, as well as several other well -known artists. The workshop in which the paintings were made was in a house in one of the northern districts of Rome.

longing view of the secret painting laboratory

The officials found a room that was only set up for the production of fake paintings. The materials confiscated by the police included hundreds of color tubes, brushes, relays as well as fake gallery stamps and signatures of artists.

techniques of the counterfeit

The suspect, described by the authorities as a "counterfeiting restorer", was even in possession of a typewriter and computers that were used to create paintings and fake authenticity certificates for the fraudulent pieces. A tactic of the suspect was to collage via auction catalogs by replacing the painter's original work with a picture of his fake art. This showed that the fake painting was real from the start.

progress of the investigation

The police also found different works that were still on the counter -fault's table and wore the signatures of different artists. This suggested that the suspect had recently created them.

History of art falsifications in Italy

This is not the first time that Italian authorities uncover fake works of art. The Carabinieri art police, which was founded in 1969, specialize in combating crimes related to art and culture. In 2023 they thousands of artefacts regained, which had been stolen from graves and archaeological excavations.