Rome, "fake works of art peddled for real": Vittorio Sgarbi investigated with 22 other people. In two at home

the works of art they were falsebut they were pbaded as authentic. This is the suspicion of the Prosecutor of Rome who investigates 23 people, including the parliamentarian and art critic Vittorio Sgarbi as president of the Gino De Dominicis Archive Foundation. The investigating judge of the court of the capital ordered two preventive custody orders house arrest – the vice-president of the Foundation, who reproduced the forgery materially – and 2 temporary prohibitions of exercise of professional activity against two gallerists.

Precautionary measures occur at the end of the investigation conducted by the carabinieri Department of Cultural Heritage Protection – coordinated by the pm Laura Condemi – which badume, for various reasons, the crimes of criminal badociation, counterfeit works of art and stolen. In essence, the suspects, according to the accusatory hypothesis, have successfully introduced many legitimate channels into the contemporary art market. counterfeit worksaccompanying them fraudulent certifications d & # 39; authenticity. That's why the seizure beyond 250 works deemed counterfeit (for a value of more than 30 million euros), sold mainly to ignorant collectors, in addition to various materials suitable for counterfeiting.

According to the Rome prosecutor's office, the organization was organized around the Gino De Dominicis archival foundation in Rome, presided over by Sgarbi and composed of important gallery, art experts commercial brokers. The alleged perpetrators are, with different positions, actively involved in the falsification, authentication and marketing works of art falsely attributed to the famous artist of the Marche region Gino De Dominicis, recognized as one of the most important authors of post-war Italian art with quotes more and more on the market and, to a lesser extent, in other masters of contemporary art.

The two orders of preventive guard under house arrest, they were handed over to the main subject who materially executed the counterfeit and vice-president of the Foundation, a leading figure in history because – having been in the past personal badistant of the artist – most likely exploited in the counterfeit of his works his thorough knowledge of painting techniques andconceptual iconography of the deceased master in 1998.

According to Sgarbi, these works are " Authentic " and "never the core protection of the artistic heritage of the carabineers had happened lower by putting theignoring serving blindness and lack of judgment of a magistrate. "The art critic – announcing aparliamentary question on the history and the quandprosecutor's report – defines the investigation "Irresponsible and criminal" and capable of "destroying the reputation of an artist of whom they do not know themselves to be false, except by the exaltation of those who claim to be the only experts".