Counterfeit figurines, lithographs and sculptures that fraudsters were selling at inflated prices have been seized at 2 Brussels art galleries. The fraudsters engraved the names of well-known artists on the cheap figurines. The fraudsters have been convicted of forgery, use of counterfeit, deceit and fraud.
Four fraudsters made a lot of money because they were able to fool buyers into thinking the figurines, lithographs and sculptures they had on sale were valuable items.
More than a dozen art nouveau-style figurines onto which the signatures of well-known artists like Ferdinand Preiss, Claire Colines and Demeter Chiparus had been engraved using an engraving pen were sold. The figurines earned the fraudsters between 2,500 and 3,000 euros each.
The fraudsters also tried to sell 2 larger copies for 25,000 euros using fake certificates drafted in Spanish. The works had not yet sold.
The initials E.A. or H.C. were added to some lithographs. The abbreviations stand for ‘épreuve d'artiste’ (proof of artist) and ‘hors commerce’ (not for trade) and if real would have made the works even more valuable. The works have now been confiscated.
The fraudsters also sold copies of sculptures by contemporary artists such as Niki de Saint Phalle and Arman. They even came up with new pieces that they tried to sell under these artists' names.
Conviction and professional ban
Following investigations by the economy ministry in cooperation with the Brussels public prosecutor's office and the Brussels federal judicial police, four of the fraudsters were caught after shops were raided and bank records examined.
‘There were 2 investigations that took a lot of time,’ says Lien Meurisse of the federal economy ministry. ‘One case started in 2016 and was completed in March 2023 and the other investigation started in 2019 with the conviction following last June.’
A court in Brussels convicted the 4 fraudsters, who were active in 2 galleries, on charges relating to forgery, use of false certificates of authenticity, deceptive trade practices and fraud.
The fraudsters received suspended prison sentences and fines of up to €40,000. One of them also received a five-year professional ban. ‘The 2 galleries have been emptied and no longer exist. The fake artworks have been destroyed.’ The money the fraudsters were able to earn from the scam has also been seized.