1/ Hans van Meegeren, the man who made the Vermeer seem more genuine than life

"I was the one who painted it. I painted each one of them..." Han van Meegeren had spat out the piece in order to avoid the death sentence, which he would have been subject to if he had been caught selling Dutch artifacts to the German enemy during the Second World War. He was a talented portrait painter, but he was also responsible for the largest con of fake works attributed to Dutch artists. He did this with the assistance of a restorer of paintings who was also in on the fraud, and they used period colors and supports. His lifelike Vermeers had even fooled the Nazi chief Hermann Goring, who had paid 1,650,000 guilders for a painting depicting Marie-Madeleine washing the foot of Christ. The painting had been purchased by Goring. With the exception of the fact that nobody believed Han van Meegeren throughout the trial, the forger was required to create a fake Vermeer in front of experts. Following the conclusion of the rally, he was given the mandatory minimum term of one year in jail. He will never be able to get rid of it because of the cancer.

2/ Fernand Legros, the most notorious of all con artists

Fernand Legros was a master con artist; he had a Rolls-Royce, a jacket made of monkey skin, and a full beard. This king of mythomaniacs, cabaret performer, and sandman amassed his money between the years of 1960 and 1970. His father was an accountant. With the assistance of Elmyr de Hory and Réal Lessard, who were able to paint "like" Modigliani, Matisse, and Picasso, Legros was able to sell fake masterpieces to American millionaires and make a fortune. What's the catch? Obtain certificates of authenticity from the families of artists and specialists, preferably after a satisfying lunch with a significant amount of alcohol. Legros has been on the run for a significant amount of time, and during that time he has been involved in a number of cases, all of which he has lost. He spends the rest of his days in a Charente hamlet after his life has been ruined.

3/ John Myatt & John Drewe, English scam

Between the years 1986 and 1995, this British pair made sales of over 200 forgeries of artworks. Myatt was the one who created Chagall, Dubuffet, and Nicolas de Stael, while Drewe was the one who took care to mold their lineage by contaminating museum records, reasoned catalogs, and auctions with forged paperwork. Drewe had also established Art Research Associates, which offered their services as consultants. For John Myatt, the small game comes to an end in Brixton jail, which is located in the south of London. There, the so-called "Picasso" would paint his fellow inmates before being freed and eventually appearing on television programs. John Drewe was incarcerated for a period of three years. After being let go, he immediately resumes his con.

4/ The Greenhalghs, a family with a brilliant reputation

Shaun Greenhalgh, an unemployed quadra living with his parents but a brilliant self-taught artist, created ceramics, paintings, and pieces of gold smithery from the Middle Ages in a pavilion in the suburbs of Manchester between the years 1989 and 2006. During this time, Greenhalgh also lived with his parents. Egyptian Antiquity. Everything that the art world desired was conceived and brought to life by the modest family enterprise Greenhalgh. Around 120 forgeries were sold on the art market by his retired parents and brother on behalf of the family business. His greatest hit? Le Faune, which was shown at the Art Institute of Chicago, is a treasure trove for art historians since it is Paul Gauguin's very first ceramic piece, which was created in 1886. Shaun will serve a sentence of four years in jail as a result of a mistake that he made on an Assyrian bas-relief. The fault was discovered by Scotland Yard. What about money for the business? It vanished into thin air.

5/ Wolfgang and Hélène Beltracchi are the equivalent of Bonnie and Clyde in the world of painting.

His forte was Raoul Dufy, Georges Braque, and André Derain, but he was also known for his work with Fernand Léger, Max Ernst, and Van Dongen. A well-known catalog of moderns has been offered for sale by German Wolfgang Beltracchi for approximately thirty years. What is the father of this restaurateur's son's best kept secret? He imagines that artworks have been stolen. Hélène, Wolfgang's wife and co-conspirator, contended that her husband had never plagiarized; rather, he had just innovated. Wolfgang painted using historical materials, and he aged the labels by soaking them in coffee to give them an old appearance. Hélène stood in an early 20th-century costume among the paintings she had created. As a result, the pair was able to discern that their works were influenced by their history. Wolfgang Beltracchi was unmasked in 2010 due to the presence of an outdated pigment on a Campendonk. He was freed from jail in 2015 after serving his time. As an artist, he puts his earnings toward paying off his obligations.

art expert: https://www.vwart.com/art-authenticity