Germany: Con artist sentenced over fine-art forgeries
September 26, 2023
An employee of a museum in Munich replaced several paintings with fakes. After auctioning off the originals, he bought a luxury car.
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A museum employee in the German city of Munich confessed to replacing several paintings from a depot with forgeries and putting the originals up for auction.
The Munich District Court found the 30-year-old guilty of three completed and one attempted case of illegally selling cultural property and sentenced him to a suspended prison term of one year and nine months, the court announced on Monday.
The court also ordered the confiscation of more than €60,000 ($63,500) in compensation.
Which paintings were replaced?
The defendant was a technical employee from May 2016 to April 2018 at the museum and had access to the storage room where paintings were kept. According to the court, he replaced the painting "Das Märchen vom Froschkönig" (The Fairy Tale of the Frog King) by Franz von Stuck with a forgery.
Pretending that the painting had belonged to his great-grandparents or grandparents, he offered the original for auction at a Munich auction house, which sold the painting for €70,000 ($74,000) to a gallery in Switzerland. He was left with €49,127.40 in cash after the deduction of auction costs.
He also stole the paintings "Die Weinprüfung" (Tasting the Wine) by Eduard von Grützner and "Zwei Mädchen beim Holzsammeln im Gebirge" (Two Girls Gathering Wood in the Mountains) by Franz von Defregger from the museum's storage. The paintings brought him a further total of around €12,000.
Forgeries fund luxury lifestyle
In total, the defendant collected €60,617 euros for the pictures. He spent the money to pay off debts and finance a luxurious lifestyle. According to the court, among other things, the man bought himself "a new flat, expensive wristwatches and ... a Rolls Royce."
In court, the man had reportedly not only confessed but also shown "sincere remorse and insight."
"He stated that he had acted without thinking. He could no longer explain his behavior," the court reported. The verdict is final.
10 must-see museums in Munich
After Berlin, Munich is the most visited city in Germany. The attractions of the Bavarian metropolis include the Hofbräuhaus, the Oktoberfest and numerous museums. Join us on a tour of museums in the city.
Image: picture-alliance/Joko
Deutsches Museum
About 1.5 million visitors a year come here to learn more about technology and science, from astronomy to time measurement. The main building of the world's largest technology museum is located on the Museum Island, a former gravel bank of the Isar river.
Image: picture-alliance/Joko
Pinakothek der Moderne
The most important location for the museums in Munich is the Kunstareal. Among the 16 museums there is the Pinakothek der Moderne. Its collection focuses on 20th and 21st century art. The adjacent houses Alte Pinakothek and Neue Pinakothek show paintings from earlier centuries.
Image: picture-alliance/J. Thomandl
Lenbachhaus
The Lenbachhaus is also part of the Kunstareal. In the former villa of painter Franz von Lenbach and a modern extension, visitors will find works by Munich painters, art by the Blue Rider and the New Objectivity movements.
Image: picture-alliance/P. Wallner
Brandhorst Museum
The Brandhorst Museum is a real eye-catcher. The façade consists of 36,000 ceramic surfaces, which are coated in 23 colors. The building houses the Brandhorst couple's collection and sees itself as a complement to the Pinakothek der Moderne. Here you can admire important works by Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly.
Image: picture-alliance/H. Lippert
State Collections of Antiquities
The State Collections of Antiquities on Königsplatz bears witness to the Bavarian rulers' passion for collecting art. King Ludwig I not only commissioned the building in the style of a Corinthian temple, he also had excavation treasures from Greece and Italy brought to Munich.
Image: picture-alliance/J. Richter
Haus der Kunst
The Haus der Kunst (Art House) in the English Garden does not house any permanent collections, but serves as an exhibition venue for contemporary and modern art. The neoclassical landmark building was erected by Adolf Hitler between 1933 and 1937 and was one of the first major building projects of the National Socialists.
Image: picture-alliance/M. Siepmann
Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism
The youngest museum in Munich is the Documentation Center, which opened in 2015. Until it was destroyed in World War II, the Brown House, the party headquarters of the Nazi party, NSDAP, was located on the same site. The Documentation Center is primarily concerned with Munich's role in the rise of the National Socialists.
Image: picture-alliance/imageBROKER/M. Bail
Jewish Museum and Synagogue
The Jewish Museum (left) is next to the central synagogue (right), located in the Jewish Center in Munich's Old Town. In addition to the permanent exhibition on the history of Jews in Munich, there are also temporary exhibitions on topics such as looted art and encounters with witnesses who survived the Holocaust.
Image: picture-alliance/M. Siepmann
Munich Stadtmuseum
Opposite the Jewish Museum you will find the Munich Stadtmuseum (City Museum) in the former armory (left). The three-story museum provides information from Henry the Lion to the Allianz Arena soccer stadium. The Film Museum (right) is also part of the Stadtmuseum, which regularly screens classic movies.
Image: picture-alliance/Arco Images GmbH
BMW Welt
And because Munich is also an important location for carmaking in Germany, it has a dedicated museum. At BMW Welt (BMW World), the Bayerische Motorenwerke display vehicles from their current range, from the Mini to the Rolls-Royce. In the adjacent museum there is a permanent exhibition devoted to 100 years of BMW history.
Image: picture-alliance/J. Thomandl
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