Wolfgang Beltracchi - 'King of Counterfeit Art' Determined to Reform

Wolfgang Beltracchi (63 years old), nicknamed "the art counterfeiter of the century", is a character who has caused a stir in the world art market with many fake paintings impersonating masterpieces of masters.

Now Beltracchi has decided to "reform", not hide behind the image of a famous painter to make quick money illegally but will openly sell his paintings.

"Robin Hood of Art"

Beltracchi’s story is arguably even stranger and more unique than his hippy-like appearance. With his extraordinary talent, Beltracchi has been considered both a genius painter and a vulgar copyist. Curtis Briggs, who exhibited Beltracchi’s paintings, called him “the Robin Hood of art.” So who is Beltracchi really?

Wolfgang Beltracchi was once considered the "king of counterfeiting"

Over the past 36 years, Beltracchi has painted 300 paintings in the style of great masters such as Pablo Picasso, Gauguin or Monet. He signed them for them, then let his wife sell them. When selling these fake paintings, the Beltracchis told customers that the paintings were part of the family collection. To convince customers, they even staged and took photos of the "origin" of the paintings, which looked quite old, as evidence.

There are currently about 250 Beltracchi paintings that have not been discovered as “fakes” and are still circulating around the world. However, there are many people who love Beltracchi’s paintings. Even though they know they own fake paintings, they still keep quiet.

More talented than the master?

Beltracchi's talent was so great that the widow of German artist Max Ernst found him to be a better painter... than her husband. Many experts believed his fakes were genuine masterpieces.

However, Beltracchi’s carelessness led to his “exposure”. In the fake painting, a work by Heinrich Campendonk painted in 1914 and lost, Beltracchi used titanium white. His painting was discovered to be a fake only because at the time Campendonk painted it, the world did not have titanium white!

In 2011, Beltracchi was sentenced to six years in prison, and his wife to four years. While in custody in Cologne, Beltracchi painted portraits of prisoners and hid them. In January this year, his sentence was reduced and he was released.

"Dance on the Stairs", a painting painted by Beltracchi after being inspired by a painting by Fernand Leger in 1913

From May 8, his new paintings are on display in the exhibition Freedom at Art room9 gallery in Munich. The exhibition features 24 paintings by Beltracchi. It is worth mentioning that before the exhibition opened, many collectors from all over the world called the gallery and said they wanted a real painting by Beltracchi.

Beltracchi was now free to paint as he pleased and signed his paintings properly. But his paintings still borrowed from many different styles, including Kandinsky, Campendonk, Dürer and Gauguin. In Dance On The Stairs, Beltracchi was inspired by a 1913 painting by Fernand Leger.

Many critics still regard Beltracchi not as a painter but as a criminal. But Beltracchi does not care. “Anyone who criticizes me is only jealous or wants revenge,” he declared.

Painting to pay off debt

Beltracchi hated monotony and disliked having to paint in one style, one way. He wanted to combine the painting styles of the past, present and future. He was now a “star” in the painting world and many famous people were lining up to have his portrait painted.

Beltracchi also published two books he wrote with his wife and made several documentaries. Several screenwriters in the United States sent Beltracchi scripts to make films about his life.

Beltracchi continues to paint in his studio in Montpellier, southern France. During his forgery days, Beltracchi led a comfortable life. Now he lives frugally, as the money from the sale of his paintings goes to pay off his debts. The court has ordered Beltracchi to pay off the 20 million euros in debt by 2017.

However, for Beltracchi, earning that amount of money is not difficult, because the demand for his paintings has become very large. Due to the demand of customers, the price of Beltracchi's paintings has increased very quickly. Up to this point, his most expensive painting has cost 78,000 euros (88,500 USD), which partly shows that his talent is truly recognized.

According to thethaovanhoa.vn