Four works of Amadeo Modigliani worth millions of euros or some counterfeit works that have been knocked down since the 60s After exhibit at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht (Netherlands). The trial, which started this morning against a Dutch art dealer in the 3rd Division of the Valencian Provincial Court, will try to shed light on this mystery, on which experts on the Italian painter cannot agree.
The Public Prosecutor demanded that the defendant, a businessman specializing in art residing in Barcelona, be tried for a crime with 3 years in prison. crime of fraud at the level of attempting to property belonging to artistic, historical and cultural heritage. In addition to a fine of 2,700 euros. However, the most important thing is the value of the works, which will have no value when proven false.
Disputed artifacts confiscated Heritage group of the Generalitat Police inside In an art gallery in December 2019 Valencia, where they will be put up for sale for between one and a half million and three and a half million euros, is below market value if they are indeed the lost works of Modigliani, who died in 1920.
Specifically, it was a pencil drawing of a nude woman, two canvases glued to a board representing a woman’s face, and a drawing on paper, again with a woman’s face. The prosecution believes that the defendant received the four pictures on an unspecified date and from unidentified persons knowing they were not real.
The prosecution detailed that in order to appear authentic, the art dealer accompanied the works with photocopied certificates allegedly signed by the victim. Arthur S. Pfannstiel, expert on Modigliani, as well as reports and catalogs.
Using only his right to answer his lawyer’s questions, the defendant emphasized the authenticity of the works and the validity of the accompanying certificates. He justified the discredit of this expert, signing the same documents in which his work at the international level could be humiliated for alleged collaborating with the Nazis in World War II.
The Dutch businessman argued, with the help of a translator, that Modigliani was Jewish, so his heirs did not view this positively. Expert allegedly helping the Germans loot artworks It was art that confirmed the expert opinions after the death of the Italian artist.
Likewise, the defendant stated that he did not deliver the works offered for sale to the owner of the Valencia art gallery and that they sold them. They were waiting for cataloguing. However, after the completion of the statements, neither the owner of the Valencia art gallery, whose paintings were interfered with, nor the accused, did not clarify the traceability of the works attributed to the Italian painter in the trial.