Entertainment Desk

Italian police have dismantled a significant European criminal network involved in forging and selling artworks by some of the world’s most renowned modern artists.

More than 2,100 counterfeit pieces were seized, including works falsely attributed to Banksy, Andy Warhol, and Pablo Picasso.

A total of 38 individuals were arrested in connection with the forgeries, which had a potential sale value of approximately $213 million.

Six illegal workshops were uncovered in the operation, including two in Tuscany, one in Venice, and others across Europe, according to Italian prosecutors.

The accused face multiple charges, including conspiracy to handle stolen goods, forgery, and illegal art sales, as stated in a joint release from the Carabinieri cultural squad and the Pisa prosecutors’ office.

The investigation was launched after authorities seized about 200 fake artworks from the collection of a businessman in Pisa in 2023, which included a forged drawing by renowned Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani.

The operation led to the discovery of counterfeit artworks attributed to over 30 famous artists, including Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dalí, Henry Moore, Gustav Klimt, Joan Miró, Jackson Pollock, Francis Bacon, and Piet Mondrian. Raids were carried out in Italy, Spain, and Belgium.

Pisa Chief Prosecutor Teresa Angela Camelio emphasised that experts regard the operation as “the biggest act of protection” for Banksy’s estate.

Banksy, despite his widespread fame, remains an anonymous figure. This is not the first time his artwork has been targeted by criminals. In September, two thieves were arrested for stealing his iconic “Girl with Balloon” piece from a London gallery.

Banksy’s works, often created on public buildings, have been vulnerable to vandalism and theft. A recent “Urban Jungle” collection in London was defaced shortly after it appeared. Warhol’s art has also attracted criminal attention recently, with two of his pieces stolen in an overnight break-in at a gallery in the Netherlands earlier this month.