Greek police have apprehended three individuals in northern Greece on allegations of systematically forging artworks by renowned Greek painters and selling them as originals via an online auction platform, authorities announced on Friday.
According to a police report, the arrests took place on Wednesday, just one day before a scheduled live online auction featuring 123 paintings and sculptures. The auction was organized by a group operating out of Thessaloniki.
An art connoisseur from Greece’s National Gallery assessed the pieces and determined that all 123 were “undoubtedly” counterfeit, as reported by the police.
Law enforcement officials conducted searches at the auction house and four other locations allegedly used for creating the forged artworks. They confiscated over 800 additional pieces, which are currently undergoing scrutiny to ascertain their authenticity and origins.
Authorities indicated that the auction planned for Thursday was anticipated to generate between 288,000 and 398,000 euros ($305,000 and $421,000) based on preliminary sales appraisals.
The art pieces listed for the auction included works by celebrated 20th-century artists such as Yannis Gaitis, Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas, and Alekos Fassianos. These artists’ works are highly sought after by collectors and can fetch prices in the five-figure range.
The three detainees, comprising two men aged 70 and 62 and a woman aged 42, faced charges on Friday for repeated acts of forgery and for receiving and attempting to sell stolen property.