Wolfgang Beltracchi: Difference between revisions
=== ''The Art of Forgery'' is a Documentary film === * ''The Art of Forgery'' is a Documentary film about Wolfgang Beltracchi and the biggest Art Forgery scandal in post war Germany, 90 min., started in German theaters in March 2014 |
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Fischer met Helene Beltracchi in 1992 and, after marrying her in 1993, adopted her surname.<ref name=spiegel2>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/spiegel-interview-with-wolfgang-beltracchi-confessions-of-a-genius-art-forger-a-819934.html|title=Confessions of a Genius Art Forger|journal=Der Spiegel|date=9 Mar 2012|first1=Lothar|last1=Gorris|first2=Sven|last2=Röbel}}</ref> |
Fischer met Helene Beltracchi in 1992 and, after marrying her in 1993, adopted her surname.<ref name=spiegel2>{{cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/spiegel-interview-with-wolfgang-beltracchi-confessions-of-a-genius-art-forger-a-819934.html|title=Confessions of a Genius Art Forger|journal=Der Spiegel|date=9 Mar 2012|first1=Lothar|last1=Gorris|first2=Sven|last2=Röbel}}</ref> |
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=== Wolfgang_Beltracchi, ''The Art of Forgery'' Documentary film === |
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* ''[[The Art of Forgery]]'' is a [[Documentary film]] about [[Wolfgang Beltracchi]] and the biggest Art Forgery scandal in post war Germany, 90 min., started in German theaters in March 2014 and had its world premier at the Montral World Film Festival.<ref>[http://www.welt.de/print/welt_kompakt/koeln/article106429439/Anwaltssohn-dreht-Film-ueber-Kunstfaelscher-Beltracchi.html Die Welt on Arne Birkenstock shooting a film with Beltracchi]</ref><ref>[http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/10/wolfgang-beltracchi-helene-art-scam Vanity Fair on the Beltracchi case]</ref> The film will be distributed worldwide by Global Screen.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-2012-match-factory-takes-320374 Hollywood Reporter on Global Screen distributing Arne Birkenstock‘s new Documentary]</ref> |
* ''[[The Art of Forgery]]'' is a [[Documentary film]] about [[Wolfgang Beltracchi]] and the biggest Art Forgery scandal in post war Germany, 90 min., started in German theaters in March 2014 and had its world premier at the Montral World Film Festival.<ref>[http://www.welt.de/print/welt_kompakt/koeln/article106429439/Anwaltssohn-dreht-Film-ueber-Kunstfaelscher-Beltracchi.html Die Welt on Arne Birkenstock shooting a film with Beltracchi]</ref><ref>[http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/10/wolfgang-beltracchi-helene-art-scam Vanity Fair on the Beltracchi case]</ref> The film will be distributed worldwide by Global Screen.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-2012-match-factory-takes-320374 Hollywood Reporter on Global Screen distributing Arne Birkenstock‘s new Documentary]</ref> |
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Revision as of 22:51, 13 January 2016
Wolfgang Beltracchi (born Wolfgang Fischer in 1951) is a German art forger and artist,[1] who has admitted to producing hundreds of fake paintings with M Feider, his mentor and mastermind behind the international art scam netting millions of Euros along with Wolfgang's wife, and two accomplices sold these as original works by famous artists including Max Ernst, Heinrich Campendonk, Fernand Léger and Kees van Dongen. In 2011, Beltracchi was sentenced to six years in prison.[2][3] [4] This was after a 40-day trial ending in Guilty for Beltracchi who was then sentenced to six years in a German prison.[5] [6][7]
Wolfgang Beltracchi was found guilty and charged with forgery and corruption related to 14 works of art that sold for a combined $45m (£28.6m). But Beltracchi has stated to the BBC that he faked 'about 50' artists. [8]
According to the DPA,[9] which confirmed his release on Friday, Beltracchi was freed on January 9, 2015, a little over three years after being convicted in October 2011.[10] and his movie The Art of Forgery was released in 2014. [11] [12][13][14]
Art Forger Wolfgang Beltracchi is now free[15][16] and is making millions reported by the BBC. [17] [18][19]
Biography
Wolfgang Fischer was born 4 February 1951 in Höxter[20][21] and grew up in Geilenkirchen. His father was an art restorer and muralist.
According to his own statements, Beltracchi copied a Pablo Picasso painting when he was 14 years old. He was expelled from school when he was 17, and went to art school in Aachen. He said that, as a young man, he used drugs such a LSD and opium and started doing art forgeries "a little". He travelled through Europe and lived in Amsterdam and Morocco.[3]
He also lived in Mallorca, Spain, and France.[citation needed]
In the 1980s for a short time, Beltracchi ran an art gallery together with a business partner. The two had a falling-out and his partner accused Beltracchi of burglary and stealing paintings from his house. Beltracchi vehemently denies this.[3]
Fischer met Helene Beltracchi in 1992 and, after marrying her in 1993, adopted her surname.[3]
Wolfgang_Beltracchi, The Art of Forgery Documentary film
- The Art of Forgery is a Documentary film about Wolfgang Beltracchi and the biggest Art Forgery scandal in post war Germany, 90 min., started in German theaters in March 2014 and had its world premier at the Montral World Film Festival.[22][23] The film will be distributed worldwide by Global Screen.[24]
Forgeries
Police have identified 58 paintings they suspect were forged by Beltracchi. Beltracchi himself has stated he has forged hundreds of paintings by more than 50 different artists.[2]
Fictional collections
To provide a provenance for their fake works of art, Beltracchi and his associates fabricated stories about their grandparents who supposedly had been art collectors in the 1920s: the Sammlung Knops and Sammlung Werner Jägers.
The Sammlung Knops (Knops Collection) had allegedly belonged to master tailor Johann Wilhelm Knops from Krefeld, grandfather of Otto Schulte-Kellinghaus.
Sammlung Werner Jägers (Werner Jägers Collection) had allegedly belonged to Werner Jägers, Helene Beltracchi's grandfather.
Both Johann Wilhelm Knops and Werner Jägers were made up to have been customers of Alfred Flechtheim, and many forgeries were labelled with his name.[25]
List of known forgeries
The Bundesverband Deutscher Kunstversteigerer (German Federation of Art Auctioneers), as a section of its database of known forgeries[26] has published a catalogue of works from the fictional Sammlung Jägers which have been investigated by the LKA. The catalogue lists 54 paintings as per October 2012, fakes presented as works by 24 different artists, including Heinrich Campendonk, Max Ernst, Auguste Herbin, Louis Marcoussis, André Derain, Jean Metzinger, Raoul Dufy, Kees van Dongen and Fernand Léger.[27]
Examples of known forgeries
Notable cases
Porträt Oskar Schlemmer by Johannes Molzahn
In 1987 Loretto Molzahn, widow of Johannes Molzahn, paid a Berlin dealer DM60,000 for a portrait her husband had painted in 1930 of Oskar Schlemmer. The dealer had acquired the painting from Wolfgang Fischer. The painting proved to be fake and the Berlin dealer was given a suspended sentence in 1998.[2][28]
Bouquet varié by Moïse Kisling
In 2012, Bouquet varié (bouquet of flowers), purportedly a 1937 painting by Moïse Kisling, was listed by French auctioneers Millon to be auctioned in Dubai on 22 October 2012, with an estimate of $150,000–200,000. As its provenance were listed Sammlung Jägers, Köln, Sammlung Beltracchi, Palma, and an auction on 23 March 1994 at Sotheby's in London. The painting was withdrawn from auction when questions were raised about its authenticity. When asked about the painting, Beltracchi commented he "had painted many bouquets of flowers during his life".[29]
Research by Die Zeit revealed that two versions of the painting exist. The painting offered in Dubai had actually been sold by Sotheby's in 1993. The painting sold by Sotheby's in 1994 is different and its whereabouts are unknown.[30]
La Forêt (2) by Max Ernst
In 2004, Beltracchi and his associates sold La Forêt (2), a fake 1927 Max Ernst oil painting, to a dealer for €1.8 million after Werner Spies had appraised it and had issued a certificate of authenticity. Galerie Cazeau-Béraudière lent it to the de for a 2006 exhibition and subsequently sold it to collector Daniel Filipacchi for $7 million.[31] The painting is now listed as a forgery from the Sammlung Jägers[27] and is one of the five Max Ernst paintings Beltracchi admitted to forging during the 2011 trial.[32]
Nature morte by Fernand Léger
In early 2006, Otto Schulte-Kellinghaus tried, unsuccessfully, to sell this painting via Parisian art dealers. Together with a forged André Derain painting, it was taken to de in July 2009 where it was shown to prospective customers, including Christie's, which rejected it. Provenance of the painting was the fictional Sammlung Jägers. A deal was being negotiated to sell the painting for €5.8 million to an unknown buyer, when it was seized in the museum by police 25 August 2010.[33] It is one of the fourteen paintings Beltracchi admitted to forging.[34]
Landschaft mit Pferden by Heinrich Campendonk
In July 2004 Steve Martin paid Paris gallery Cazeau-Béraudière €700,000 for Landschaft mit Pferden (Landscape with horses), supposedly painted by Heinrich Campendonk in 1915. In February 2006 Martin sold the painting throughbg Christie's to a Swiss businesswoman for €500,000.[35][36] The painting is now listed as a forgery from the Sammlung Jägers[27] and is one of the fourteen paintings Beltracchi admitted to forging.[37]
Rotes Bild mit Pferden by Heinrich Campendonk
In November 2006, Beltracchi and associates sold Rotes Bild mit Pferden (Red Picture with Horses), supposedly a 1914 painting by Heinrich Campendonk, to Trasteco, a Maltese company, for €2.88 million through de auctioneers in Cologne. "Rotes bild mit Pferden" was found to be fake by Artvera's gallery, based in Switzerland.[38] In 2008, a scientific analysis showed the painting contained titanium white, which was not yet available in 1914. Experts identified old gallery labels on the back of the painting as fake.[3] The painting is now listed as a forgery from the Sammlung Jägers[27] and is one of the fourteen paintings Beltracchi admitted to forging.[39]
Trasteco sued for damages, and 28 September 2012 a court in Cologne ruled in its favour: Lempertz was to reimburse Trasteco the full amount. Lempertz announced it would appeal.[40]
December 2012, the case was settled, with some of Beltracchi's real estate being sold to repay Trasteco €2 million. Lempertz reimbursed Trasteco its €800.000 sales commission as well as some additional costs. This is the first instance of Beltracchi's refunding a buyer of one of his forgeries.[41]
Arrest and trial
Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi were arrested 27 August 2010 in Freiburg.[3] Otto Schulte-Kellinghaus was arrested 1 December 2010.[33]
During the trial in autumn 2011, Wolfgang Beltracchi admitted forging 14 paintings: 3 by Heinrich Campendonk; 2 by André Derain; 1 by Kees van Dongen; 5 by Max Ernst; 1 by Fernand Léger; and 2 by Max Pechstein.[42]
On 27 October 2011, Wolfgang Beltracchi was sentenced to 6 years in jail. His wife Helene was sentenced to 4 years, and his accomplice "Otto S.K." to 5 years. Helene's sister "Jeanette S." was given a suspended sentence of 21 months (1.8 years) in jail.[25][43]
Aftermath
Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi were allowed to serve their sentences in an open prison, as long as they have regular jobs. They have been employed by a friend's photostudio, leaving prison in the morning and returning after work.[3] While serving his sentence, Wolfgang Beltracchi in collaboration with a photographer has produced a number of mixed-media works, paintings embedding photographs of himself.[44] The collaboration ended September 2012.[45] Helene Beltracchi was released from prison February 2013.[46] Wolfgang Beltracchi was released from prison January 2015. He declared to paint only in his own name and to move from Germany to France.
In 2012, journalists de and de published a book about the Beltracchi case.[47] Koldehoff and Timm were awarded the 2012 Annette Giacometti Prize for their work.[48]
In January 2014, Helene and Wolfgang Beltracchi published two books: an autobiography[49] and a collection of letters the pair wrote each other while in prison.[50]
Beltracchi – Die Kunst der Fälschung (English: Beltracchi – The Art of Forgery),[51] a 2014 documentary about Beltracchi by German filmmaker Arne Birkenstock, won the 2014 German Film Award for Best Documentary Film.[52] Arne Birkenstock's father Reinhard Birkenstock is Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi's legal counsel.[53]
Beltracchi's forgeries embarrassed many art evaluation firms and numerous customers have sought legal remedy against the art specialists who mistakenly certified the artworks' authenticity.[54]
Burkhard Leismann, director of the de, was charged 19 February 2013 with being an accomplice in the attempted sale of a fake Fernand Léger painting titled Nature morte while knowing the painting to be fake. Leismann denied the charges.[55] The case was closed without going to trial, after Leismann signed a deal with German authorities in April 2014 and paid a €7500 fine. According to his lawyer, a trial would have proven Leismann's innocence, but he wanted the case to be closed quickly.[56]
A French tribunal ruled on 24 May 2013 that Werner Spies and gallery owner Jacques de La Béraudière were to pay an art collector €652,883. The collector had bought Tremblement de terre, a fake painting by Max Ernst, after Spies had declared it to be a genuine Max Ernst painting.[57]
Notes and references
- ^ http://www.vanityfair.com/unchanged/2012/10/wolfgang-beltracchi-helene-art-scam Vanity Fair (magazines)
- ^ a b c Hammer, Joshua (10 Oct 2012). "The Greatest Fake-Art Scam in History?". Vanity Fair.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gorris, Lothar; Röbel, Sven (9 Mar 2012). "Confessions of a Genius Art Forger". Der Spiegel.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz6YXjSHFOI youtube.com Wolfgang Beltracchi The Artist... The Conman
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/0/32608939 Art Forger Wolfgang Beltracchi is now free and is making millions reported by the bbc.co.uk BBC.
- ^ http://www.dw.com/en/how-beltracchi-the-worlds-most-famous-art-forger-plays-with-the-market/a-18436266
- ^ http://hyperallergic.com/231078/a-not-quite-great-documentary-about-the-greatest-art-forger-of-our-time/
- ^ http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-17283458 Demand was so high, said Wolfgang Beltracchi, that he could have found buyers for up to 2,000 bogus pieces, had he been inclined to paint them.
- ^ http://www.authenticationinart.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Wolfgang-Beltracchi-German-Master-Art-Forger-Completes-Jail-Term-Artlyst.pdf Wolfgang-Beltracchi-German-Master-Art-Forger-Completes-Jail-Term-
- ^ https://news.artnet.com/in-brief/master-forger-wolfgang-beltracchi-released-from-prison-225025 Artnet master-forger-wolfgang-beltracchi-released-from-prison- a little over three years after being convicted in October 2011.
- ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/beltracchi-art-forgery-beltracchi-die-729140 hollywoodreporter.com The Hollywood Reporter
- ^ https://www.globalscreen.de/content/general/190337
- ^ http://www.blu-ray.com/Beltracchi-The-Art-of-Forgery/322135/
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS6a3XochQU BELTRACCHI - THE ART OF FORGERY Subtitled Trailer | German Currents 2014
- ^ http://guardianlv.com/2014/02/wolfgang-beltracchi-and-the-biggest-art-scandal/
- ^ http://www.complex.com/style/2014/03/meet-wolfgang-beltracchi-the-worlds-greatest-art-forger
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/0/32608939 Art Forger Wolfgang Beltracchi is now free and is making millions reported by the bbc.co.uk BBC.
- ^ http://www.dw.com/en/how-beltracchi-the-worlds-most-famous-art-forger-plays-with-the-market/a-18436266
- ^ http://hyperallergic.com/231078/a-not-quite-great-documentary-about-the-greatest-art-forger-of-our-time/
- ^ "Keiner will's gewesen sein". 22 Sep 2011.
- ^ "Vorläufige Sicherungsmaßnahmen". 117 Js 407/10 and 110 KLs 17/11 (search for "Wolfgang Beltracchi")
- ^ Die Welt on Arne Birkenstock shooting a film with Beltracchi
- ^ Vanity Fair on the Beltracchi case
- ^ Hollywood Reporter on Global Screen distributing Arne Birkenstock‘s new Documentary
- ^ a b "Art Forger All Smiles After Guilty Plea Seals Deal". Der Spiegel. 27 October 2011.
- ^ "Die Datenbank kritischer Werke".
- ^ a b c d "Visual List of Known Forgeries from the "Jägers Collection"/Ermittelte Werke der sog. Sammlung "Jägers"" (PDF).
- ^ Wiegelmann, Lucas (27 Oct 2011). "Kurzer Prozess". Die Welt.
- ^ Röbel, Sven (10 Oct 2012). "Beltracchi-Bild im Wüstensand". Der Spiegel.
- ^ Koldehoff, Stefan; Timm, Tobias (25 Oct 2012). "Oh, wie schön ist Panama". Die Zeit.
- ^ "The $7 Million Fake: Forgery Scandal Embarrasses International Art World". Der Spiegel. 13 Jun 2011.
- ^ Falsche Bilder Echtes Geld: p. 254
- ^ a b Koldehoff, Stefan; Timm, Tobias (21 Nov 2011). "Wer kennt diese Bilder?". Die Zeit. Retrieved 8 Mar 2013.
- ^ Falsche Bilder Echtes Geld: p. 259
- ^ "Steve Martin Swindled: German Art Forgery Scandal Reaches Hollywood". Der Spiegel. 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Steve Martin victim of German art forgery gang". The Guardian. 1 Jun 2011.
- ^ Falsche Bilder Echtes Geld: p. 247
- ^ "Cologne-based auction house Lempertz charged in sale of false Campendonk painting". ArtDaily. October 6, 2012.
- ^ Falsche Bilder Echtes Geld: p. 248
- ^ "Lempertz to Appeal Court Decision for €2.9 Million Fine for Selling Forged Painting". 2 Oct 2012.
- ^ "Schadensersatz : Kunstfälscher Beltracchi muss selbst zahlen". Der Spiegel. 10 Dec 2012. Retrieved 8 Mar 2013.
- ^ Falsche Bilder Echtes Geld: pp. 243-270
- ^ "Wie erwartet: Kunstfälscher Beltracchi muss sechs Jahre in Haft". Express. 27 October 2011.
- ^ "Selbstverliebte Souvenirs eines großen Betrügers". Süddeutsche Zeitung. 4 Mar 2012.
- ^ According to the project's website: "The 'Project Beltracchi' are photographic works by Manfred Esser, painted over by Wolfgang Beltracchi...The collaboration ended on 01.09.2012" "Beltracchi Project". Retrieved 17 Oct 2012.
- ^ "Kunstfälscher Beltracchi war weltweit aktiv - Kultur-News - Süddeutsche.de". 16 January 2014.
- ^ Falsche Bilder Echtes Geld
- ^ "Fondation Giacometti - Grants and Prizes - The Laureates".
- ^ Selbstporträt
- ^ Einschluss mit Engeln
- ^ Beltracchi – The Art of Forgery at IMDb
- ^ "Die Preisträger Deutscher Filmpreis 2014" (PDF). Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ "Kunstfälscher Beltracchi lehnt geplante Filmkomödie ab". Focus. 3 July 2012.
- ^ Bob Simon (23 February 2014). "Art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi's multimillion dollar scam". CBS News. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ Röbel, Sven (7 Mar 2013). "Beltracchi-Fälschungen: Anklage gegen Museumsdirektor erhoben". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 8 Mar 2013.
- ^ Fricke, Christiane (11 April 2014). "Burkhard Leismann: Glimpfliches Ende für Ahlener Museumsdirektor". Handelsblatt.
- ^ "L'historien d'art Werner Spies condamné pour avoir mal authentifié une toile de Max Ernst". 27 May 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
Further reading
- Koldehoff, Stefan; Timm, Tobias (2012). Falsche Bilder Echtes Geld: Der Fälschungscoup des Jahrhunderts – und wer alles daran verdiente (in German) (1st ed.). Berlin: Galiani. ISBN 978-3-86971-057-0.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help)
Translations:- Koldehoff, Stefan; Timm, Tobias (2013). L'Affaire Beltracchi : Enquête sur l'un des plus grands scandales de faux tableaux du siècle et sur ceux qui en ont profité (in French). Jacqueline Chambon Editions. ISBN 978-2330018283.
- Beltracchi, Helene; Beltracchi, Wolfgang (2014). Selbstporträt (in German). Rowohlt. ISBN 978-3498060633.
- Beltracchi, Helene; Beltracchi, Wolfgang (2014). Einschluss mit Engeln: Gefängnisbriefe vom 31.8.2010 bis 27.10.2011 (in German). Rowohlt. ISBN 978-3498044985.
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