Earlier this week Kati Marjatta Karkkiainen, 46, and Reijo Pollari, 75, art dealers from Finland, were each found guilty of 30 charges of aggravated fraud, and sentenced to four and five years’ imprisonment respectively. A further eight people were also found guilty and sentenced to up to three years in jail. In addition, the two dealers were ordered to pay 13M Euros.
What is amazing to me is that according to the article, some 220 works handled by the dealers were sent to Finland’s National Gallery for inspection and verification. Most of them were found to be forgeries … and all were done by one artist – Veli Seppa. That must one very talented individual since the artists he forged spanned a long period of time and styles – Schjerfbeck, Edelfeldt, Leger, Monet, Matisse, Renoir, and many others. Was he really that talented, or were the buyers just not knowledgeable enough?
Like I have always said: The art world is a jungle. You need to find the right guide before you become someone’s next meal.
Source: Finnish couple jailed over 13m euro art forgery scam