Bavarian police have arrested a 77-year-old art forger and his accomplices in a major international operation, seizing dozens of fake masterpieces valued at millions of dollars. The forgeries include works supposedly by Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, Rembrandt, and other renowned artists, with the most expensive fake Picasso carrying a price tag of up to 60 million euros.
The investigation team, code-named "Dora Maar" after one of Picasso's famous subjects, displayed the confiscated artworks at the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office in Munich on Friday morning. While the setting looked nothing like a museum, with paintings spread across imitation wood tables in a stark, fluorescent-lit room, the forgeries appeared museum-quality at first glance. The seized works include a Joan Miró titled "Composition 1945," a reclining woman by Frida Kahlo called "Nostalgia 1935," an unframed drawing by Amedeo Modigliani titled "Study of a Head," and a large ceramic vase attributed to Picasso.
The most "valuable" pieces were placed on easels by investigators, including works attributed to van Dyck, Rembrandt, and Rubens, along with Picasso's "Marie-Thérèse Walter," for which the forgers demanded between 35 and 60 million euros. The forgeries were confiscated during a large-scale operation involving more than 100 police officers on October 15, conducting raids in eleven German cities, five locations in Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.
The main suspect is a 77-year-old man from Schwandorf, Bavaria, who allegedly worked with ten other individuals in the forgery operation. A 74-year-old accomplice reportedly provided expert authentication documents to support the fake artworks' supposed authenticity. Both men were arrested but released due to their advanced age, though the investigation continues.
Unlike professional art forgers who typically work through established auction houses and galleries, this group took an unusual and risky approach. Investigators revealed that the suspects made direct contact with potential buyers and attempted to sell the paintings "from the trunk of their car." This suspicious sales method should have raised red flags among potential customers, especially given the asking prices ranging from 400,000 euros to 120 million euros. Police have not confirmed whether anyone actually purchased any of the fake artworks.
The forger's technique revealed both skill and carelessness that ultimately led to his downfall. Rather than creating identical copies or entirely new works in famous artists' styles, he painted recognizable pieces with deliberate variations. For example, his "Dora Maar" was painted with black ink on newspaper, mimicking Picasso's 1941 series of wild, cartoon-like portraits. However, lacking an original 1941 edition of "Paris Soir" that Picasso used, the forger substituted a page from "The New York Times Book Review" dated October 6, 2019, apparently hoping the yellowed paper would pass inspection.
Similarly, the fake "Marie-Thérèse Walter" with flower garlands in her hair initially resembled the famous painting in a private collection, complete with convincing brushstrokes and signature. However, closer examination revealed telling differences: Picasso's lover wore a blue blouse instead of white, and her jacket was green rather than brown-black, exposing the forgery's flaws.
The most spectacular piece in the collection was too large to display in the Munich police facility, measuring 2.8 by 1.9 meters. This forgery of Rembrandt's "The Sampling Officials of the Drapers' Guild" carried an asking price of 120 million Swiss francs. When potential buyers pointed out that a nearly identical painting with the same title and dimensions hangs permanently in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum as one of its major attractions, the forgers offered what police described as a "bizarre" explanation: they claimed their version was authentic while the museum's celebrated masterpiece was actually a later forgery.
The case highlights the ongoing challenges in the international art market, where sophisticated forgeries continue to surface despite advanced authentication techniques. The "Dora Maar" investigation represents a significant victory for art crime units working across international borders to protect cultural heritage and prevent fraud in the multi-billion-dollar art world.
