Art -detectives ensure fraud education for falsifications and crimes

Art and cultural assets are not only an expression of human creativity and history, but also a lucrative goal for criminals. The world of art is regularly the scene of complex crimes such as predatory art, smuggling and counterfeiting.

Each of these offenses brings with it its own challenges and great damage, especially for honest buyers and collectors.

Robbery , often obtained from times of war or through theft, must be attributed and correctly assigned in tedious detective work and provenance research.

Art smuggling in turn makes valuable cultural assets disappear on black markets and deprives them of their origin and legal presentation. Particularly perfidious are art fakes : they deceive buyers and connoisseurs alike and can be an extremely lucrative business for counterfeiters. At the same time, they mean immense financial losses for honest collectors and institutional buyers.

Every 3rd work of art a fake - experts appreciate

Experts estimate that every third work of art could be a fake, which makes the business with falsification of art extremely lucrative. However, this is a great financial risk for honest buyers and collectors, since they pay high sums for supposedly original works.

art detectives, provenance researchers and art commissioners come into play-experts who are committed to investigating these crimes. With your special expertise and elaborated methodology, you can bring light into the darkest corners of the art market.

Your activity often begins with careful research and the use of the latest technologies to check the authenticity of works of art.

The task of exposing art counterfeits, for example, is taken over by specialized art detectives at the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) .

These experts use special laboratories to check the authenticity of works of art. With the latest technologies and scientific methods such as forensic analyzes , radiological studies and chemical material tests, you examine the works down to the smallest detail. They also work closely with art historians and restorers to uncover historical and stylistic disagreements.

Thanks to their careful detective work, they help to keep the art market clean and to maintain confidence in trade in works of art. Every uncovered fraud and any unmasked fake protects honest buyers from financial losses and contributes to the transparency and integrity of the art market. The work of the art detectives is therefore an integral part of the fight against art crimes.

Art crimes - spectacular cases that caused a sensation

Under the large number of art crimes that came to the public in the course of the 20th century and the young 21st century, there were a few extraordinary cases that have attracted a special level of attention in their execution or cultural importance. The following selected files fall into this category.

Masterfall Wolfgang Beltracchi 

Wolfgang Beltracchi managed to lead the art world behind the light and thereby earn a fortune. The scandal about Germany's greatest counterfeiting art after the Second World War is known far beyond the borders.

But as so often in such cases, the "Beltracchi system" also began to show cracks. In the spectacular case of Wolfgang Beltracchi, it was ultimately unexpected color details that revealed and exposed his deceptions.

However, it remains unclear how many fake works Beltracchi actually produced. He himself states that it has sold around 300 counterfeits, of which around 100 have so far been exposed as such.

This art scandal still causes a stir and raises questions about integrity and review mechanisms in the art world.

Hitler's bronze stallion

In autumn 2013, a Berlin art dealer received an offer that made her speechless: two oversized bronze sculptures by the Nazi sculptor Josef Thorak are to be sold for 3.1 million euros. These imposing horse statues had once stood in front of Hitler's Reich Chancellery in Berlin and have been considered missing since the end of the Second World War.

The art dealer, skeptical and alerted by the explosive origin of the works, immediately turned to art commissioner René Allonge . Allonge, who had been looking for the missing sculptures for years, immediately recognizes the meaning of this information.

He and his team began their investigation of the two oversized bronze sculptures by the Nazi sculptor Josef Thorak immediately after the Berlin art dealer. Through forensic analyzes, historical research and comparisons with contemporary photographs and archive documents, Allongere was able to confirm the authenticity of the sculptures.

The investigations showed that the horses were actually those who were once positioned in front of Hitler's Reich Chancellery in Berlin and were considered missing since the end of the war. After an in -depth examination, it turned out that the sculptures were lost in the confusion of the post -war period and presumably had private collectors, without ever appearing in official museums or public collections.

In addition, the investigation gained valuable references to other missing works of art and their possible current locations. The results led to the introduction of further investigations, which are now also devoted to the whereabouts of lost works of art from the Nazi era.

The greatest art theft of the GDR

In December 1979, the greatest art theft occurred in the history of the GDR: Several valuable paintings are stolen from Friedenstein Castle in Gotha. Despite intensive investigations, the masterpieces are missing for almost four decades, and the perpetrators responsible and the whereabouts of the paintings rose for a long time.

It was the night of December 14, 1979 during a violent storm and rain when two men approached Friedenstein Castle. They climbed the western facade, near the west tower, and reached the height of the second floor directly under the roof by using a rain gutter and the lightning rod. There they opened an unsecured window, climbed and stole five paintings from three exhibition rooms.

On the way back to the ground, one of the pictures fell down and the frame broke. Nevertheless, the thieves continued their escape with their valuable prey. The director of the Berlin painting gallery Irene Geismeier estimated the value of the stolen paintings at the then DM 4.5 million on the art market. It was the most spectacular art of art in GDR history.

The pictures seemed to be lost forever. Gerd Schlegel also convinced that the pictures had disappeared forever. He described the burglary at Schloss Friedenstein as the most drastic event of his professional career.

It was not until 2018 that an unexpected call to Gotha's mayor brought new hope in the stuck case. An anonymous caller gave crucial information on the whereabouts of the stolen works of art. This information not only led to a new examination, but also sparked new hope of finding the lost masterpieces.

Shortly afterwards, a Hamburg journalist announced a sensation that was published by " MIRRORS Online" and spread quickly: All five stolen pictures had reappeared in 2019 and were successfully checked for their authenticity shortly afterwards.

Dresden jewel theft in the green vault

In November 2019, a spectacular jewel on jewelry shook the art world: 21 jewelry with diamonds and jewels worth over 116.8 million euros will be stolen from the green vault in Dresden, one of the best secured museums in Germany.

The precise execution of the burglary raised urgent questions: were the thieves perfectly prepared, or did they reveal serious security gaps in the museum?

In an NDR culture, the case around the green vault was once again rolled up for the cultural broadcast in 2023 in an NDR culture The team visited the crime scene in Dresden and reconstructed the crime scene. Local expert and MDR reporter Ina Klempnow gave insights into the meticulously planned processes of burglary and the reactions of the authorities.

The investigation was supported by the renowned art detective and private investigator Artur Brand , who has already found numerous stolen works of art.

With interviews and impressions obtained on site, the team of journalists illuminated possible security deficiencies and the exact processes of burglary. Together with Brand, they also analyzed the motives and methods of the perpetrators.

In May 2023, five young men from the well-known Berlin Remmo clan were legally convicted. During her trial at the Dresden district court, a large part of the stolen prey was returned at the end of 2022 as part of a deal.

Almost 12 months after the first criminal proceedings have been completed in the context of jeweling theft from the green vault, claims for damages are now argued about claims for damages. A civil chamber of the Dresden Regional Court now deals with the Free State's complaint against the security company of the State Art Collections Dresden (SKD) .

The Free State accuses the security company that four guards have shown misconduct in the spectacular slump into the historically reconstructed part of the Saxon Treasury Museum, as the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung reported at the end of April 2024.

The theft of the Mona Lisa

The theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911 is one of the most important art thefts in history. On the morning of August 21, 1911, a museum employee noticed that Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting no longer hung in his place. The world was shocked and the French police began an intensive, two -year investigative work, which was initially unsuccessful.

The perpetrator, Vincenzo Peruggia , an Italian craftsman who had temporarily worked in the Louvre, kept the painting hidden in his Parisian apartment. Peruggia believed that the masterpiece belonged to Italy because he thought it was stolen during the Napoleonic wars. In 1913 he tried to sell the Mona Lisa to an art dealer in Florence. However, this alerted the authorities, which led to the arrest of Peruggia and to the safe return of the painting to Paris.

Thanks to the theft, Mona Lisa gained enormous awareness worldwide and developed into a symbol of immeasurable cultural value. This case shows how a spectacular theft can significantly influence not only the art world, but also the public perception of a work of art.

Booming art market and the Helge Achenbach fraud system

In the 2000s, the art market experienced an unprecedented boom, and one of the most prominent players of this heyday was Helge Achenbach . As Germany's best -known art consultant, Achenbach enjoyed excellent connections to renowned artists such as Gerhard Richter and Jeff Koons as well as influential collectors and heads of company. His reputation and networks enabled him to get a rapid rise in the art world.

But behind the shiny facade there is a sophisticated fraud system. Achenbach used his position and confidence in his wealthy clients to make considerable profits. He bought art works, excavated their prices and then sold them with drastic surcharges - without the knowledge of his customers.

Particularly prominent victims, such as the Aldi heir Berthold Albrecht, paid millions for works whose values ​​had manipulated Achenbach.

In 2014, the lying building collapsed when Achenbach was arrested and finally sentenced to several years. The spectacular case shaken the art world and revealed the fragile mechanisms and the susceptibility of the booming market for fraud. Achenbach's story remains a memorial for how easily trust and illusions can be misused in the dazzling world of art.

Art search, art advice, art education, art security - detectives take on numerous tasks

Detectives who specialize in art take on a variety of tasks and play a crucial role in the fight against art fraud, art fakes and theft. You work in the areas of art search , art advice , art education and art security and use your comprehensive expertise and modern technological aids.

• Art search: Detectives are often commissioned to track down lost or stolen works of art. They use networks, databases and international contacts and use investigative techniques to locate and trace stolen works.
• Art advice: As part of art advice, detective buyers and collectors help to verify the authenticity and value of works of art. This protects buyers from expensive false purchases and counterfeits. They work closely with art historians, restorers and forensics to create comprehensive reports.
• Art education: Detectives act as an intermediary between different parties in the art market. You ensure that transactions run transparently and safely. This also includes the implementation of background reviews of potential buyers and sellers as well as ensuring the rightful provenance of works of art.
• Art protection: Detectives support works by developing security concepts and systems. They evaluate and optimize the security precautions of museums, galleries and private collections to prevent thefts and damage.
• Combating art counterfeits: Detectives are indispensable in the fight against counterfeits. They carry out forensic analyzes to check the authenticity of works of art. With the help of technologies such as infrared rays, X -rays and chemical analyzes, you can unmask counterfeits. They also analyze stylistic and historical characteristics to recognize deviations and discrepancies.
• Cooperation with law enforcement agencies: Art detectives often work closely with national and international law enforcement authorities. They provide valuable information and evidence that contribute to the arrest and conviction of art criminals.

The diverse areas of responsibility of art detectives are crucial for the integrity and security of the art market. Through their work, they protect the cultural heritage, secure financial investments and contribute to the clarification of art crimes.

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.

www. kunstplaza .de/