German art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi, known for creating nearly 300 paintings falsely attributed to famous artists, has revealed that he believes many of his works are in Japan. This includes two controversial pieces that were displayed at prefectural museums earlier this year.
In addition to the artworks owned by the art museums in Tokushima and Kochi prefectures, Beltracchi mentioned a privately-owned portrait in Japan, stating that there are likely more of his forgeries in the country.
Beltracchi, now 73 years old, managed to deceive international art experts for approximately four decades before being imprisoned in Germany in 2011. Despite his crimes, he does not regret making the paintings as he considers them “wonderful” and “masterpieces.” However, he expressed remorse for using the techniques of other artists without acknowledging himself as their creator.
The controversy surrounding Beltracchi’s works came to light when the Tokushima Modern Art Museum decided not to display a piece titled ”Bicycle Rider,” originally attributed to French artist Jean Metzinger but suspected of being a forgery by Beltracchi. The museum had purchased it in 1999 for ¥67.2 million ($460,000).
Similarly, the Museum of Art in Kochi announced that an oil painting titled “Girl and Swan,” acquired as an original work by German painter Heinrich Campendonk for ¥18 million ($155,000) in 1996 may also be one of Beltracchi’s creations.
Beltracchi revealed that he painted these three works around 1990 and claimed that his own name significantly increased their value once people realized they were made by him. He noted that Japanese buyers were particularly active during the 1980s and 1990s when purchasing artworks from Europe.
Beltracchi’s journey into forgery began at a young age when he copied a Picasso painting at just twelve years old. Expelled from school at seventeen, he traveled across Europe and North Africa buying old paintings which he would restore and sell.
Starting from the early 1970s until his arrest in 2011, Beltracchi forged paintings with assistance from his wife Helene Beltracchi between 1992 and 2010. He primarily targeted his favorite painters such as Campendonk, Fernand Leger, and Max Ernst among others.
Rather than replicating existing artworks held by collectors or museums directly, Beltracchi created new versions of lost paintings – those known to have existed but with no available images – passing them off as originals. By immersing himself into their mindset and adopting their artistic style completely while imitating them meticulously allowed him to reproduce their lines convincingly.
One notable example is his forgery titled “Red Picture with Horses,” which was valued at €2.8 million ($3 million) as an original Campendonk piece until it was exposed as fake two years later. In total there were fourteen identified forged artworks leading to convictions; Wolfgang received six years imprisonment while Helene received four years along with another accomplice who was sentenced five years.
After serving their sentences respectively; today Wolfgang resides in Switzerland where he continues working under his own name as a legitimate painter.