“After three years in prison, we have amassed a decent amount of capital,” says one of the most famous German ex-fraudsters, Wolfgang Beltracchi, in an interview with the dpa news agency. Exactly 10 years ago, he found himself at the center of one of the most high-profile scandals that have ever erupted in connection with the counterfeiting of works of art in Germany. He was accused of falsifying at least 50 paintings by famous artists.
Beltracchi, the son of a church artist, who himself did not receive an art education, for many years successfully created paintings “in the style” of expensive masters of classical modernism and passed them off as unknown originals. The paintings did not raise questions among art critics and were sold at auctions in the leading auction houses of the world, even getting into the collections of museums. It wasn’t until 2010 that Beltracca and his wife Helena’s business was exposed.
German expressionist Heinrich Campendonck performed by Wolfgang Beltracchi. Auction house Lempertz had to return 2.9 million euros to the buyer of the fake
On October 27, 2011, a court in Cologne sentenced him to six years of imprisonment with the possibility of serving the sentence in the open, and his wife, Helena, to four. The married couple of falsifiers left the court with seven euros in their pockets – without an apartment, telephone, bank account, car, but with debts of 20 million euros. “Channel your talent in a legal direction,” the judge instructed them. After the scandal, Beltracchi became a media star. While still in prison, he gave interviews, participated in the filming of documentaries and wrote two books. What is he doing today?
“Savior of the world” in the style of Van Gogh
Beltracchi was released from prison ahead of schedule – in 2015. And, it seems, he decided not to take up the old. He lives in Switzerland and thanks to his talent and productivity, he honestly earns no less than during the fraud. In his atelier overlooking Lake Lucerne, the former forger now creates his own works of art and reinterprets renowned masters. His current project is “The Savior of the World”, which is credited with Leonardo da Vinci. In 2017, the painting was sold by Russian billionaire Rybolovlev for $ 450 million – a record price in the history of painting auctions. Wolfgang Beltrakki writes “The Savior” in the style of Van Gogh, Salvador Dali or Andy Warhol. And he reliably protects his works from counterfeiting – using a system of unique tokens (NFT).
“Savior of the World” in the style of Van Gogh, Salvador Dali or Andy Warhol – one of the new business ideas of the former forger of Beltracca paintings
The overconfidence of 70-year-old Beltracca has not diminished. “Today I am one of the most expensive artists in Europe,” he confidently declares. “Some of my works are more expensive than those of Baselitz. The only one who overtakes me is Gerhard Richter.” Richter’s paintings (Gerhard Richter) are sold at auction for millions of dollars. Beltracchi himself divides his work into periods of “old and new life.”
Officially, the new paintings can be seen in the Bavarian town of Unterammergau – in the gallery of the entrepreneur and collector Christian Zott. Nobody exhibits Beltracchi anymore in Germany. “He cannot be rehabilitated. He did not disclose most of his forgeries,” says Birgit Maria Sturm, head of the federal association of German gallerists, in an interview with dpa.
Wolfgang Beltracki with his wife Helena in an atelier on Lake Lucerne
The ex-forger himself does not hide: “From time to time I see my paintings, in museums as well.” But he does not intend to give them away. “Why?” Beltracchi objected calmly. “The paintings are real. An expert opinion is attached to them, they are cataloged.” Now he paints 20-50 paintings a year. Collectors buy them. Works from the “previous life” are also in demand. According to Beltracchi, in four decades he “created” 300 works by more than a hundred masters. For “authenticity”, old canvases were used and labels on the back of the paintings were forged. Beltracchi burned out on titanium white in a 1914 painting: at that time such a pigment did not exist yet …
The life of a forger in the comedy genre
Now he plans to make a comedy about himself. Proposals have been sent to several major American film companies and even Netflix. As a result, the film will be produced by German producer Thomas Schühly, who participated in the filming of The Name of the Rose, and Belgian director Jaco van Dormal, author of The New Testament comedy. The new film promises to be a cocktail of love story, crime and satire. “The modern art market cannot be taken seriously. Whoever does this can go crazy,” Beltracchi explains his motivation.
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