Art forgery and the stories surrounding it, just as stories of the greatest of artists, might have an almost romantic appeal to wide audiences. Remember Wolfgang Beltracchi, a German prodigy, who is considered to be the greatest art forger of our time, ‘perhaps of all times’, by some. A documentary was released earlier this year describing Beltracchi’s conman adventure, unveiling the frightful truths such as him being the most exhibited living artist in the world! Still, many a viewer had fallen victim to the Cologne art forger’s charming aloofness, not feeling sorry at all for the rich who paid millions for counterfeit artwork.

The stories of art forgers and fake art appearances are frequent and many, including the recent scandal involving a Chinese painter Pei Shen Qian and a couple of Spanish gallerists, or the one in which a pastor, no less, had been dealing fake Damien Hirst in between sermons. Knowing that Basquiat’s sisters have sued Christie's for false claim alleged Basquiat works had been verified by the Basquiat Estate, or that nine art collectors sued Keith Haring Foundation because of its claims their art was not original, a prospective or a long-time collector cannot but feel worried, wondering - have I ever been, or will I ever be, conned?



Wolfgang Beltracchi at work

According to The Fine Arts Expert Institute - It Could Be The Case!

According to a report recently published by AFP, chances a collector was or will be conned are not so small as one might have hoped. Experts allegedly claim that 50% of artwork in circulation is not authentic, which is hard to verify. However, FAEI expert said that between 70% and 90% of pieces that go through their laboratory come out as fakes. The Fine Arts Expert Institute is situated inside the Geneva Freeports, a favorite tax-free art storage of many rich art collectors from all over the world. Storage units house works by Picasso, Paul Gauguin, even a work by Leonardo da Vinci. Artwork that comes into the Institute’s lab is usually signed by just as big names, but the skilled crew is there to prove the signature right or wrong.



FAEI Expert at work - Executive director Yann Walther

Technology in Service of Art Authentication Study

Getting acquainted with the work of the experts from the Swiss Fine Arts Experts Institute from Geneva through the article, we find that they are using top notch technology to uncover inconsistencies in artworks they examine, all of which would help determining whether the subject piece is an original or not. Radiocarbon dating, infrared reflectography, X-rays, microscopic and chemical examinations are all applied in confirming of an artwork’s authenticity, which sometimes leads to a shocking reveal of a fake, or to another, perhaps even better discovery, of an even greater masterpiece the owner hoped he or she had, hidden below the visible layer of paint. Although art expert appraisals, conducted on the grounds of style, technique and other artistic methods, are still the key channel of authenticating a piece, scientific examination is more and more demanded by wealthy collectors, despite of its high cost, sometimes reaching up to $19,000 (15,000 euros). This is explained by two facts - there is a trend among art experts that they are becoming reluctant to give an official appraisal or denunciation of a piece, due to their liability afterwards. Another thing is that a $60 billion dollar art market is relatively small in global terms, but quite unregulated as well. Anyone seeking to invest in art is better off knowing for sure what they’re buying, before they make the transfer. The problem here is that the original documentation for a piece is often insufficient or scarce.



The Art of Forgery poster - documentary about Wolfgang Beltracchi

Featured image - Studio of the infamous Berlin art forgers, the Posin brothers.