Father and son are said to have forged paintings and reports and earned a small fortune in the process – now the alleged art forgers are on trial for fraud.
A father-son duo from Munich is said to have defrauded auction houses of tens of thousands of euros with fake paintings. The trial against the 36 and 69-year-old men began on Wednesday at the Munich II Regional Court. Both defendants did not want to comment on the allegations or their personal circumstances.
The public prosecutor’s office accuses them of fraud on a large scale. They are said to have sold fake paintings, which they claimed were by the painters Edward Cucuel, Leo Putz or Domela, to private individuals and auction houses for tens of thousands of euros each. In total, this is said to have caused damage of more than 300,000 euros.
The two men are said to have, among other things, persuaded previously renowned art experts to produce false reports on the paintings. In some cases, certificates of authenticity are said to have been issued. The defendants are also said to have asked for the paintings to be included in the catalogue raisonné.
The men are accused of fraud and forgery. The court has scheduled eight days of proceedings, so the verdict could be announced on July 30.
Source: Stern
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