One of the paintings at the Modigliani exhibition in Genoa, Italy
This March, the Spanish National Police force has stopped the $17.7 sale of counterfeit paintings, that have been attributed to be the works of Francisco de Goya, Amadeo Modigliani, and El Greco. According to El País an art collector from Toledo has been involved with the art dealers, helping them illegally sell the works, in exchange for the 10 percent cut from the sale. The counterfeit pieces have been accompanied by the forged documentation allegedly attesting to their authenticity and have been intended to be sold abroad in Mexico, Switzerland, and Germany. The Valencian Institute of Conservation, Restoration and Research has been working on the investigation that contributed to proving that Modigliani’s artwork was a copy with forged signature. The experts from the Sephardic Museum of Toledo and the National Museum del Prado in Madrid have proved that the alleged paintings by El Greco and Goya are fake. All three pieces have been seized by the police following the investigation and the case has been referred to the Spanish court.
What does it mean for the art world?
While imitation and copy has been present in the art world and market from its nascence, this forgery is one of the most audacious ones in the recent years. As noted by the Observer, some other notable recent fake sale attempts include the 2011 case when the Knoedler Gallery imploded, after it was revealed that it was playing host to a multi-million-dollar forgery ring that led to 40 fake works being sold, of “authors” including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Robert Motherwell. According to Antonio Lopez, the head of the Historical Heritage group of the Police of the Generalitat, the resale of forgeries is “a persistent problem in the art market.” It is also noted that Modigliani is widely considered to be one of the most frequently forged artists in the world. This recent forgery sale attempt is also quite notable due to the fact of how convincing the copies were. While the actual artist remains unknown, expertise was needed to tell the counterfeits apart.
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