Italian authorities have uncovered a secret workshop producing forged artworks, leading to the seizure of 71 counterfeit paintings attributed to renowned artists like Picasso and Rembrandt. The investigation, spearheaded by the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in collaboration with the Rome prosecutor’s office, initiated when officials began tracking fraudulent art listed on online marketplaces, including eBay and Catawiki.
In the operation, police discovered a room meticulously set for the creation of forgeries, equipped with hundreds of paint tubes, brushes, easels, and falsified gallery stamps and signatures. The suspect, identified as a “forger-restorer,” was also found with a computer and typewriter to generate fake certificates of authenticity. Interestingly, the forger reportedly employed a tactic of collaging over auction catalogues to create the illusion that the counterfeit artwork was genuine.
No arrests have yet been made, and the individual’s identity remains undisclosed. This incident marks another chapter in Italy’s ongoing battle against art fraud, with the Carabinieri art police, established in 1969, continuing to combat crimes related to cultural heritage, following their recovery of thousands of stolen artefacts earlier in 2023.