Forgers & Allies

The main goal of the Authentication in Art Foundation (AiA) is to stimulate dialogue and the understanding of the authenticity of paintings in all its aspects. These aspects range from understanding the process of (re)discoveries and uncovering forgeries to developing protocols and best practices for authenticity research for catalogues raisonnés, academic research and scholarship

As forgeries are an important part of our field, the Authentication in Art Foundation has compiled a list of unmasked forgers. We want to stress out that all information on this list is not of our own finding, but is based on publications and research of other parties into these forgers’ practices

If you have any additions to this list, please contact us at: info@authenticationinart.org

Name: Marcantonio Raimondi 1480 – 1534
Area of Forgery: Albrecht Dürer
Source on the Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcantonio_Raimondi
Unmasked by: The Artist
Estimate: Not known*

Name: Luca Giordano 1634 – 1705
Area of Forgery: Dürer Painting: Christ heals the paralytic
Remarks: The forger did sign his own name on the painting. The court judged him innocent of forgery
Source on the Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luca_Giordano
Unmasked by: Buyer / Expert
Estimate: Not known

Name: William Sykes, lived in the 18th century
Area of Forgery: Jan van Eyck paintings
Remarks: He bought original paintings contemporary to Van Eyck and added details such as the signature of Van Eyck
Source on the Forger: Charney, Noah, The Art of Forgery: the Minds, Motives and Methods of Master Forgers, pp. 195-197
Unmasked by: Art Historian
Estimate: Not known

Name: Icilio Joni 1866 – 1946
Area of Forgery: 13-15th century Sienese School
Source on Forger: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icilio_Federico_Joni
Unmasked by: Collector/ Art Historian
Estimate: Not known

Name: Jozef van der Veken 1872 – 1964
Area of Forgery: Mainly Flemish painters (15th century)
Source on Forger: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jef_Van_der_Veken
Unmasked by: Art Historian
Estimate: >€ 5 million (in today’s value)

Name: Leonhard Wacker 1895 – Unknown
Area of Forgery: Vincent van Gogh paintings
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Wacker
Unmasked by: Press / Police Investigation / Material Scientists / Court
Estimate: >€ 10 million (in today’s value)

Name: Han van Meegeren 1899 – 1947
Area of Forgery: Paintings by Johannes Vermeer and other 17th century Dutch painters
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_van_Meegeren
Unmasked by: Maub van Dantzig / Material Scientists / Court
Estimate: >€ 50 million (in today’s value)

Name: Zhang Daqian 1899 – 1983
Area of Forgery: Chinese paintings from different dynasties
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Daqian
Unmasked by: Art Historian
Estimate: >€ 10 million (in today’s value)

Name: Elmyr de Hory 1905 – 1976
Area of Forgery: Post-Impressionist and Impressionist painters, such as Matisse and Modigliani, but also Picasso
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmyr_de_Hory
Unmasked by: Himself
Estimate: >€ 50 million (in today’s value)

Name: Lothar Malskat 1913 – 1988
Area of Forgery: Medieval fresco’s, most famously the Maria Kirche¸ also 19th and 20th century artist such as Chagall, Munch and Toulouse-Lautrec
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lothar_Malskat
Unmasked by: Himself
Estimate: >€ 15 million (in today’s value)

Name: Walter Keane 1915 – 2000
Area of Forgery: He claimed to have painted the paintings in fact made by his wife Margaret Keane
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Keane
Unmasked by: His Wife/ Court
Estimate: >€ 17 million

Name: Tom Keating 1917 – 1984
Area of Forgery: Paintings of almost every style and period, from Italian Renaissance to Impressionisme, from Rembrandt and Titian to Modigliani
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Keating
Unmasked by: Himself
Estimate: >€ 10 million (in today’s value)

Name: Eric Hebborn 1934 – 1996
Area of Forgery: Master painters from different periods, specialisation Old Master drawings
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Hebborn
Unmasked by: Himself
Estimate: >€ 30 million (in today’s value)

Name: Antoni Pitxot 1934 – 2015
Area of Forgery: Salvador Dali paintings
Remarks: Worked alongside Dali, it is rumored that Dali approved and signed works made by Pitxot
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Pitxot
Unmasked by: Assistant of Dali
Estimate: >€ 25 million

Name: David Stein 1935 – 1999
Area of Forgery: Post-Modern and Modern French painters such as Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse and George Braque, but also the German painter Paul Klee
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Stein_(art_forger)
Unmasked by: Marc Chagall / Police Investigation
Estimate: Not known

Name: Edgar Mrugalla 1938 – 2016
Area of Forgery: Post-Modern and Modern artists such as Picasso, Otto Muller and Erich Heckel
Source on Forger: http://www.mrugalla.com/index.htm
Unmasked by: Art Dealers/ Police Investigation
Estimate: >€ 15 million

Name: Cor van Loenen 1942 – Present
Area of Forgery: Dutch Impressionist/ Expressionist group, The Groninger Ploeg
Source on Forger: https://authenticationinart.org/pdf/artlaw/Groninger-Ploeg.pdf
Unmasked by: Johan Meijering / Material Research ARRS / Court
Estimate: >€ 5 million

Name: Geert Jan Jansen 1943 – Present
Area of Forgery: 19th and 20th century painters, such as Karel Appel, Henry Matisse and Pablo Picasso
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geert_Jan_Jansen
Unmasked by: Police Investigation / Court
Estimate: >€ 10 million

Name: John Myatt 1945 – Present
Area of Forgery: Modern and contemporary masters in different media
Remarks: Claims he did not know his works were being sold as originals, became an asset for the British police in finding other forgers
Source on Forger: http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/archive/19990718mag-art-forger.html
Unmasked by: Police Investigation
Estimate: >€ 25 million

Name: William Blundell 1947 – Present
Area of Forgery: Australian artists suchs as Russell Drysdale, Sidney Nolan and Brett Whiteley, but also French Impressionist Claude Monet
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blundell
Unmasked by: John Curver
Estimate: Not Known

Name: Guy Ribes 1947 – Present
Area of Forgery: Chagall, Renoir, Dali, Leger, Modigliani, Braque, Matisse. Many of his forgeries were made on commission.
Source on Forger: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Ribes
Unmasked by: Police Investigation
Estimate: Not Known

Name: Anthony Gene Tetro 1950 – Present
Area of Forgery: Almost every style and period of paintings, from Rembrandt to Chagall, from Dali to Rothko
Source on Forger: http://tonytetro.com/
Unmasked by: Hiro Yamagata / Police Investigation
Estimate: Not known

Name: Wolfgang Belltracchi 1951 – Present
Area of Forgery: 20th century painters such as Heinrich Campendonk, Max Ernst en Fernand Léger
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Beltracchi
Unmasked by: Ralph Jentsch / Material Scientists / Court
Estimate: >€ 100 million

Name: Ely Sakhai 1952 – Present
Area of Forgery: Post-Impressionist and Impressionist paintings
Remarks: Bought the original paintings, which he then had copied by a studio of Chinese immigrants. He sold the copies with the certificates of authenticity and other documents belonging to the original
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ely_Sakhai
Unmasked by: Police Investigation / Auction Houses
Estimate: >€ 25 million

Name: Mark Landis 1955 – Present
Area of Forgery: Mainly Impressionist paintings, both European and American. But also 16th century paintings, by for example Hans van Aken
Soure on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Landis
Unmasked by: Archivist
Estimate: >€ 5 million

Name: Shaun Greenhalgh 1961 – Present
Area of Forgery: Almost anything, from antique reliëfs to Post-Modern sculptures and paintings
Source on Forger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_Greenhalgh
Unmasked by: Police Investigation / Court
Estimate: Not Known

Name: Alfredo Martinez Unknown – Present
Area of Forgery: Paintings by Jean Michel Basquiat
Source on Forger: http://www.inenart.eu/?p=12787
Unmasked by: Police Investigation / Court
Estimate: >€ 25 million

Name: Ken Perenyi Unknown – Present
Area of Forgery: 18th and 19th century painters, mainly B-category painters such as James Buttersworth, Martin Johnson Heade and Gilbert Stuart
Source on Forger: http://www.kenperenyi.com/
Unmasked by: Himself
Estimate: >€ 5 million

Name: Alexander Archipenko Jr. Unknown – Present
Area of Forgery: 20th century Russian painters, such as Kasimir Malevich, Igor Larionov, Natalia Goncherova, Vasily Kandisnky and Alexej von Jawlensky
Source on Forger: Police Reports
Unmasked by: Material Scientists
Estimate: >€ 15 million

Name: Pei-Shen Qian 1940 (probably) – Present
Area of Forgery: Post-Modern painters such as, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning
Remarks: Made his forgeries for Glafira Rosales, Qian was the artist behind the Knoedler Gallery forgeries, facilitated by a ring of experts and art dealers
Source on Forger: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/17/nyregion/struggling-immigrant-artist-tied-to-80-million-new-york-fraud.html?_r=0=
Unmasked by: Police Investigation / Press / Court
Estimate: > € 85 million

Name: Eric Spoutz 1985 – Present
Area of Forgery: Post-Modern painters such as, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and Joane Mitchel
Source on Forger: https://authenticationinart.org/pdf/artmarket/eric-spoutz-sentenced.pdf
Unmasked by: FBI investigation
Estimate: > € 1,5 million

*The estimates are based on open sources and are an indication of the basic amount of profit forgers made by their activities