Art forgery is a persistent and growing problem in the multi-billion dollar global art market, with fake artworks and fraudulent attributions deceiving collectors and museums worldwide. Experts estimate that 5-10% of art market transactions involve counterfeits - amounting to around $6 billion worth of forged art exchanging hands annually.
The United States is among the largest affected markets. The FBI Art Crime Team has investigated numerous major forgery cases in recent years. In one startling example, dealer Glafira Rosales admitted to selling over 60 fake paintings, which she falsely claimed were newly discovered works by the iconic Abstract Expressionist Jackson Pollock. These were sold to collectors and museums for over $80 million over 15 years. Other US cases have seen organized rackets selling hundreds of forged works pretending to be by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mark Rothko and more. Street artists like Banksy are also heavily counterfeited for profit.
In Europe, a 2022 law enforcement agency Europol operation seized over 26,000 counterfeit luxury items, including forged fine art valued at €27 million. These fake artworks, furniture pieces, and collectables primarily originated from sophisticated underground operations in Italy and France towards Eastern Europe. Paris and Rome have a historical reputation as centers producing expert forgeries. According to estimates, Italy alone sees nearly $500 million flowing through its domestic fake art market.
China, too, sees billions of dollars exchanging hands through art forgery as increasing nouveau riche collectors enter the market needing more authentication expertise. Major Chinese auction houses report at least 50% and as high as 80% of artworks submitted are fakes. Respected Chinese artists like Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, Fan Zeng, and Gu Kaizhi are frequently and expertly forged - with millions of dollars worth of their fakes circulating globally. Local experts feel the domestic Chinese market could be severely overvalued due to the sheer scale of undiscovered forgeries propping up prices.
Even the United Kingdom - home to many blue-chip galleries and venerable auction houses - sees millions lost to art fraud. Sotheby's has encountered major forgery rackets involving works ascribed to eminent Victorian painters. One remarkable 2021 case revealed an Edinburgh family had successfully introduced over £10 million of forged Scottish "colorist" paintings into auctions over a decade - consistently duping top experts. Such instances are the tip of the iceberg within a notoriously opaque industry built heavily on attribution trust between dealers and collectors.
While the fabled white glove test no longer suffices, improved forensic technology offers hope. Specialist art authenticators now rely on imaging tools like infrared reflectography, X-ray scans, and canvas thread counts to differentiate convincing but fake pieces from genuine masterpieces. Machine learning systems are also trained to spot patterns within the vast deluge of forged artworks. However, catching up to the sophistication of art forgers presents an uphill challenge. The lure of commanding seven or eight-figure price tags for top artist names continues to incentivize the Thinking of this wily network of expert fakers across the globe. Tackling the burgeoning trade in fake art remains a crucial priority for the art world.