Wolfgang Beltracchi, the greatest art forger

[@charitysketches]

this is one clever man. Am I the only one who finds this guy a legend? He only served 3 years and duped a bunch of rich people!! absolute dedication. I wish he had more focus on his origin works.

[@harkelin]

This man is one of the gratest artist ever to live. And the way he played the industry was amazing. I have nothing but great respect for him.

[@opusv5]

"gratest" is one way of putting it.

[@JohnKelly-br5tf]

I have no problem with this man. Obviously he has real talent.

[@nickidaisydandelion4044]

Haha I agree.

[@Dan-xx5jq]

the funny part is the biggest Con in the art world was the very first, Picasso!! Picasso is the biggest Con artist in the history of the world! Since then a lot of 'modern' artists have copied the same Con game!

[@nickidaisydandelion4044]

@@Dan-xx5jq I don't agree at all. Picasso started out with very precise images and then gradually morphed his images into more abstract and proportionally different forms which is a natural gradual courageous and curious flow of art development. He was an amazing artist.

[@JiveDadson]

The villain of the story is the large paint manufacturer that sold paint labeled as pure lead white that was adulterated with titanium white.

[@kannart]

That's hilarious!

[@Peleski]

I'd like to see that court case also

[@tamarrajames3590]

Any painting is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it…regardless of who painted it. No doubt his works are now worth a great deal BECAUSE they were painted by him, and are part of a fascinating story.🖤🇨🇦

[@sabineb.5616]

Yes, paintings made by Beltracci are worth a lot of money today - and maybe other talented forgers will produce fake Beltraccis 😊 Btw, I totally disagree with the notion that Beltracci doesn't have a lot of talent! Some of his forgeries are beautiful paintings, amd this shines a very dubious light on the irrational aspects of the international art market, where the actual qualtity of an art work is less important than the signature of the alleged artist. Why should a beautiful painting become less beautiful just because the painter was the Dutch master forger Van Meegeren or Wolfgang Beltracci and not a famous celebrated artist? I will never understand this! I inherited a 19th. century painting from my grandparents which I have loved since I was a kid. A couple of weeks ago I found out that this painting was made by the German artist Ascan Lutteroth who was so well known and established during his life time that he was invited to teach the children of the last German emperor Wilhelm II, who was forced to abdicate after the end of WW I. Since this artist isn't so well known and sought after today, my painting isn't worth a fortune, but I could probably sell it for several thousand euros. But I will keep it because I really love the painting. It's of course nice to know more about it, since I have always believed that the painting was really beautifully executed. But if it would have been painted by an anonymous artist or even by a forger I would still love the painting!

[@tamarrajames3590]

@@sabineb.5616 I agree completely regarding the skills of some forgers…the art world just gets its nose out of joint when they have been had.🖤🇨🇦

[@sabineb.5616]

@@tamarrajames3590 , yes, I agree with you 😉 I have to confess that I admire the resourcefulness and intelligence of some forgers. And unlike some other forgers who work for art thieves, Beltracci didn't copy existing paintings, and he didn't steal anything . He made new paintings. This means that he created new and often beautiful original art work. I think the problem of today's international art market is, that the function of art has changed considerably over the last 150 years. Many art collectors buy art as a financial investment or prestige objects, and for many buyers it doesn't matter if they actually like their expensive paintings. Art work from famous artists has become ridiculously expensive, and it doesn't matter anymore if the quality of these works justifies the hefty price tags. Even a few imperfect lines on a dirty napkin will cost a fortune if these lines were drawn by Modigliany or Picasso. This is fertile ground for skillful and inventive forgers. And since art from the 20th century onwards is often more about a certain style and a specific new concept than about meticulous painting skills, it's much easier and also less time consuming to produce a fake Modigliani than a fake Rembrandt. That is the reason why Beltracci focussed on 2nd tier artists of the first half of the 20th century. Van Meegeren however was brave and took on the old Dutch masters. He sold Hermann Göring a fake Vermeer 😀

[@Cai-vx9dw]

Belltracci wird viele meister im wert übertreffen. Belltracci ist kein Künstler. Er ist Hamdwerker und meisterkopist. Er hat keinen platz für kreatives in seinem Kopf. Er rekonsteuiert den geist dws Künstlers und nimmt seine haltung ein. Natürlich ist er besser als manch ein " Meister" . Am Ende kommt kunet von können. Und können hat viel mit wissem zu tun. Und beltracci idt eine Bibliothek. Er ist nicht mal arrogant für das was er weisd und umsetzen kann. Er erinnert mich an szukalski stanislav. Szukalski war sich seiner Einzigartigkeit auch voll bewusst.

[@TNT-km2eg]

Dogs eat no dog

[@emmilypalmer9269]

I love how everyone is completely impressed and or smitten by the intelligent way they went about it. Nothing pleases me more than to hear stories of rich tax evaders who get taken for a ride.

[@pectenmaximus231]

yeah just a bit of comeuppance

[@CrustyUgg]

Tax evaders or ppl who have lawyers and accountants who find loop holes put in place by governments?

[@commoguru]

@@CrustyUgg What do you think the purpose of those loopholes is? They could be closed but politicians benefit from them too.

[@gilessteve]

Not everyone who buys an expensive painting is a tax evader. Tax is another kind of theft anyway, but that's a different discussion!

[@emmilypalmer9269]

@@gilessteve truth

[@end-is-near]

I say the art community( art collectors, dealers, experts, auction companies and etc) got what they deserved, they lust money and most of them want art from a dead artist, greatest artists died in poverty and misery, this man is a true hero and artist who tasted them their medicine and it was very bitter 😅

[@murph8411]

So would you feel the same way about someone who broke into houses and took money or valuables like paintings as well? What about some addict that stole someone’s purse or wallet with only 100 dollars in it and ended up getting a longer prison sentence than this man? Would you feel the same way about someone selling you a fake watch, bag or clothing that was made in China? Are the people producing these goods and the people passing them off as genuine heroes too?

[@revolutionnow5227]

Facts

[@mikeyfraile2402]

True great artist never enjoy the value of their talent the agent is the benefactor when the artist past away their works sky rocketed in value the amount of money goes only to the agent or collectors

[@crustyoldfart]

At about 2:10 "he was so sure of himself that he probably thought that he was as good as the artists he was imitating " - a strange observation coming from a smug fat cat gallery owner. If you really think about what she is saying it gives a good diagram of how members of the whole Fine Art Conspiracy operates. The suppressed anger within this community comes from the fact that he was caught in the act, which makes the rest of them guilty by association. His crime in their eyes is getting caught ; up until then they were all quite happy to go along for the ride.

[@tuduloo7799]

She does seem like a peice of shit, that's true. The Art world are scum who only serve to harbour tax dodgers. They look down their spotty noses at the rest of society.

[@rises889]

We all know the truth.....in the end she said he s mediocre .....big to that. You can smell the jealousy and the mediocrity of these people that got interviewed :) they are more fake that those painting ever were :)

[@adamgorelick3714]

Painting in the style of famous artists was not "hitherto unknown" when Beltracchi took it up. The credit for this seems to go to Elmyr De Hory. Though Beltracchi's idea of recreating long lost works that were never photographed - with "authentication" materials - added a brilliant twist.

[@joeydelrio]

so funny seeing these art "experts" claiming Beltracci has no talent after years and years claiming his works, before they knew they were forgeries, was the best work ever.

[@StephiSensei26]

Beltracchi's theme song: "I did it my way" and I did it their way, and a couple other ways just for fun! It's only considered "criminal" because it doesn't fit into the prescribed social format, but, you must admit, it was genius of a different kind.

[@claudettedelphis6476]

What a fascinating man and what a fabulous story of his art and many talents..He really did get the last laugh.

[@newtronix]

Hats off to them. The art market has a putrid stench

[@AFAskygoddess]

Much of the high priced modern art market is really a sophisticated way of money laundering.

[@mikefabbi5127]

I'd say worlds greatest artist instead of forger. Michael Angelo forged Greek classics. This dudes awesome! He used his talent, made a profit and fueled the art worlds greed. Sucks he got caught. This dudes a legend! It would make a great movie like Catch Me If You Can.

[@TNT-km2eg]

What talent ?! World full of would be criminals

[@Dan-xx5jq]

And Picasso was the biggest Con artist!! Picasso could not draw without his father, his drawings looked like cartoons so he found a way to disguise his inability to draw by coming up with cubes and circles. He pulled of the biggest scam in the art world. Since then others have done the same under the name, 'modern art'. Jackson Pollock and Andy Wahol soon followed....and that is going on today!! Vermeer was a real artist that is why it is very difficult to forge his works!! A 5 year old can do a Picasso!

[@mikefabbi5127]

@@Dan-xx5jq dude you're so right! I remember my 5 year old boy doing a chalk drawing of a big apple 🍎 on the cement 🤯 and taking a picture of It from above on the sundeck. It blew my mind he'd discovered cubism.

[@Yahsbsuq]

@@Dan-xx5jqdo you know nothing about Picasso? I was a master painter and could draw very well before moving on to his later styles

[@rollyherrera623]

To forge great art, requires a great artist...To copy, and fool; He is a master of many arts...

[@ledlight6630]

I think he is a great artist❤

[@differenttakethanmost]

For someone who was “lazy and didn’t want to work” he went far and above most other forgers- sounds like he dedicated much to his craft- albeit nefarious as it was.

[@lucreziawalker952]

Agree. He was hardly lazy. Quite the opposite

[@mrgadget1485]

That detail was surprising to me also. I believe that there is a bit of truth in that, but I guess he must have invented most of that story...

[@sabineb.5616]

differenttakethanmost, Beltracchi wasn't and still isn't lazy - at least not lazier than many established artists whose art work can be sold by them for a lot of money just because their signatures are worth so much. Successful forgers who don't want to get caught, need to work much harder because it's not just about painting pictures. They have to be extra careful in order to make sure that they get everything just right 😉 And Wolfgang Beltracchi wasn't caught because he had become careless. He was caught because in one of his paints was a small amount of pigments which were not listed on the label. Beltracchi knew that these pigments weren't available for the artist whose signature he was "borrowing". But how was he supposed to know that his material was contaminated with "rogue" pigments? He only could've avoided to get caught if he had tested all materials he wanted to use in a lab before he started to paint. Maybe other forgers will learn from Beltracchi 😉

[@zinhlemkhize2332]

My favourite line in the entire documentary, is when he says not only did he fake paintings, but faked his own face 😂

[@padraiggluck2980]

Wolfgang is one of my heroes.

[@padraiggluck2980]

@divinelightshine The idiots who bought his copies are greedy liars. They got what they deserved.

[@TNT-km2eg]

You are kind of person who writes supporting letters to criminals in jail

[@padraiggluck2980]

@@TNT-km2eg You are the kind of person who writes replies to people who write to criminals in jail. Maybe you should watch a few "Fake or Fortune" episodes and you will see that the people just want their paintings authenticated but they don't really care who painted them.

[@loca8048]

Then you're a loser.

[@jpakos6701]

Well done ....congratulations to Mr Beltracchi

[@chrystal108reading4]

What a Genius Artist of Living...He is extremely talented, too.. I cannot see any harm in his way of living and using his talent to give those IN NEED (the art-market) what they want....quite heroic actually... ;)

[@jekalambert9412]

It's too bad art "connoisseurs" value pedigrees more than artistic merit. How can the same item be valued at millions in one moment, then totally devalued the next? Obviously it has nothing to do with the intrinsic merit of the item in question.

[@great-garden-watch]

Ya I finally realized it’s all about celebrity, like owning a scarf belonging to, say marilyn monroe. It’s a scarf. It has the value of whatever retail price it has. But if previously owned by a celebrity the price becomes ridiculous. Same item. No difference.

[@pauladouglas9891]

A very good point, he was obviously very talented and his scheme was creative.

[@murph8411]

@@pauladouglas9891if he was so talented why didn’t he paint anything original? If he was a half decent artist never mind the brilliant artist many people here are suggesting he could have made a living off of his own work. Why would he use things like coffee to stain paper in an attempt to age it? That’s not intelligent. The same goes for using pigments the original artists wouldn’t have used like titanium white instead of lead white. He was just another greedy criminal that spent years practicing copying others work.

[@seanfaherty]

@@murph8411as an amateur artist I think there is frustration for some when a scribble by a genius is worth millions and a masterpiece by the lady down the street is worthless.

[@Peleski]

Because it's all about profit and pedigree. You can't expect rich people to actually appreciate art.

[@emilygray5537]

The documentary is really interesting and a lot of information that we needed to know and it explains bit by bit for me to understand.

[@Rando_Shyte]

Okay bot

[@wendyshoowaiching4161]

He is so good he can produce his own art.

[@tamarrajames3590]

He always could…it was just that the artists he chose to forge commanded much more money than his own name ever would.🖤🇨🇦

[@joedee1863]

Wish I had this man's talent. In my first interview with a commercial art company the interviewer asked me if I could take a photograph of any object or scene and reproduce it in the style of Cezanne, Monet or Van Gogh or any of the great painters. I said I could then he said "Show me" I Didn't take my portfolio with me but the next time I saw him I produced a sea Scape, a land Scape, a street scene, common objects like fruit and utensils and clothing in the style of different masters he told me that I should be teaching art and so I became an art teacher. My art work wasn't bad but nothing anywhere near as good as Mr Wolfgang Beltrachi He is a true genius.

[@stephenconnolly3018]

I think it points out the the art market and the experts are just as fake has Wolfgang's painting. People paying and making vast mounts of money for very little. In some case little better than a five year olds crayon scribblings.

[@murph8411]

As was said it’s a good way to spend and invest money without attracting too much attention. Some companies buy paintings and store them away in a vault where nobody will see them for years. Just like many other investments. Wine for example. Some vintage wine may be undrinkable but it will still sell for a lot of money and nobody will ever know because it won’t be opened in many cases. Rich people get richer and everyone else is denied the chance of ever seeing the artwork.

[@dingusdingus2152]

@stephenconnolly3018 if you hang out with the right crowd, and play your cards right, you could sell crayon scribblings done by 5 year olds for $ millions

[@nostradamus9441]

Fantastic! He is certainly my hero! Such a genius!

[@OM-sb2bd]

originals in the same style - of paintings never seen only described - that’s called original art

[@ericswain4177]

As an art collector, I do not condone forgery Etc... but the top tear and blue-chip art market is out of control and forgery is more common than people would like to think and par for the course in that level of the art world. To most no one knows the difference between real and forgery and that's the point when it comes to big money for a name-brand artist, and the powers that be in the high-end art industry will viciously protect the status quo.

[@milacek]

prase🤣

[@crustyoldfart]

Eric Swain The simple fact is that in the Art Market there is a huge discrepancy between supply and demand. The demand is insatiable and if it were not for an army of skilled forgers and accredited experts and compliant dealers and auction houses, it would collapse for want of supply, since most of the original artists are dead.

[@ericswain4177]

@@crustyoldfart Well maybe then there would be more real living artists that would move up the ranks and have a better chance at gaining better success and exposure to that market. The rich condone by acquiescence the fake, forgery Etc... to a greater degree, they quite often pass the fake buck. There are many art documentaries and stories on this subject and why it is what it is, till this art market has a big bubble burst this sadly will be the status quo and even then it will be there to some degree.

[@Scott-jf1nh]

I bet half of the Warhols are fakes. Half the K. Harings . Most of the Dali prints.

[@tuduloo7799]

Imagine putting titanium white in a 1914 painting. Wolfgang..you really got lazy there. Lol

[@HamadAhmet]

Recreating lost paintings with such passion and skill , should not be crime

[@BINKYism]

This whole story/experience is fascinating on many levels in what it reveals about the art market; and the reaction as seen below in the comments - which fly in the face of the snide commentary herein - the way Beltracchi is portrayed - the use of the term 'hippy' as a smear belies this production's view - seems like you're wanting to protect the 'victims' in the art market. Fascinating on many levels - NOW the art market will declare his 'own 'works inferior after being stung by his 'forged' works which were painted by the same hand.

[@mikeb5372]

Reading through the comments shines a light on the morality of society. People's propensity to praise dishonest fraudsters as long as the victims are people they don't like is as common as mosquitoes in a swamp. They never realize that their government leaders they so self-righteously condemn as dishonest and corrupt are really just mirror reflections of themselves.

[@siobhancrowley8777]

There are very few people in the world, who can claim the Picassos they painted were better than those, their father painted.

[@OM-sb2bd]

He’s forging again - and you have no idea. 🔥

[@hansvetter8653]

This film is just a great documentation of the illiteracy & arrogance of the whole worldwide art business and all its "experts" ... LOL

[@miketackabery7521]

Nice to see them screwed with 😂

[@bethbartlett5692]

*This Production was done to discredit him as an Artist,, it didn not.* *He was every bit as good as those he replicated. He did some amazingly beautiful paintings. I would love to buy at least 2 of them.* They were an expansion of the original Artist's style. Why not let him be, they were obviously equal in value, based on their quality.

[@MeganVictoriaKearns]

I completely agree with this!

[@kvk1960]

Love him wish I had his artistic genius.

[@LambentOrt]

I can understand why he did it. An artist's life is a real struggle against so much doubt and uncertainty. You can spend years developing a style, approach or philosophy without knowing that it might just go out of fashion or relevancy overnight. It's much easier (if you have the skills) if you can just forge works by artists whose value have become enshrined by the establishment. It's an easier, more profitable life. But he is not an artist. Being an artist is much harder and more humiliating. He is much too sane to be an artist.

[@TheHoriyoshi]

Painting artist myself...he is really really very talented, no doubt. What he did, the way he made money....dunno, I like it...give your best, the way he faked these paintings demands some respect...then take from the rich, enjoy life....the rich were happy too, having an exeptional painting at home (til it came out its fake...haha)....gentleman-like crime in my eyes....he s a legend... The way he grew up, his father already forging/copying...well, the apple doesnt fall far from the tree...do we really have the choice, what we become? I often doubt it...

[@derekstocker6661]

Very interesting documentary, much of "modern art" does lend itself so easily to forgery.

[@yourdiscoverelaxchannel9422]

He is an absolute talent... his paintings cost over 200K Dollar meanwhile

[@UNUSUALUSERNAME220]

I don't need the 1080p close ups of the guy. I can see his nose hair. That got annoying fast. This guy worked really hard, for a guy that didn't want to work hard.

[@johnjoeflanagan]

A cracking good documentary!

[@kyleanuar9090]

We as regular folks are on Team Beltracchi

[@Korschtal]

I'm fascinated how the film tries to make us disllike Beltracci and make us think he was a 'lazy' and ultimately untalanted hack, and then has to admit how much time and effort he put into his forgeries, and that he was able to produce believable fakes of "great" artists. He fooled a lot of wealthy people with big egos and the morals of a cat, many of whom were buying the paintings to cheat the tax rules and/or launder money.

[@urallnutz5294]

Why you gotta do cats dirty like that? 8)

[@miketackabery7521]

​@@urallnutz5294👍🏻😂

[@Pe6ek]

That's some crazy talent!

[@Magicspark2366]

Second viewing ...the guy is brilliant..good luck to them!

[@theresabraddock9310]

if the experts say his own originals are lacking but they said previously that the forged interpretations are beautiful then its a blatant hit to his ego and his own works cant be that bad

[@OM-sb2bd]

“The greatest forger in history” hasn’t been caught yet.

[@terrykrall]

Someday.... his forgeries will be sought after.

[@kitjeab]

In the museums

[@JCO2002]

The icing on the cake would have been if Masterworks had sponsored this video.

[@chaddesrosiers1107]

I like the art crits at the end saying he is a mediocre talent. Sure you can say his own work may lack some originality but to say its technically mediocre gives away your bias. :)

[@golden-63]

*"What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”*

[@isabellkoller8339]

Beltracchis have demasked the elite of art- specialists with their vanity. This is a serious loss of image for them.Beltracchi is a great artist, perhaps one of the best of our time

[@JPalermo]

I would like to buy a Wolfgang painting

[@astroboy3002]

I like his original paintings

[@DuanTorruellas]

I support this guy . The art dealers dont care about art , they only care about money. And when the artist were alive nobody wouldn't to sell their work. After they were dead they make a fortune without giving the surviving family a dime. Its disgusting how they live off rhe dead. These dealers will sell anything because they're greedy . Art experts making fortunes of work when they cant even paint. There should be more people like wolfgang , his life is a work of art .

[@kitjeab]

He is not a forger !!!! He painted in the style of...... Only the signature 🤗🤗🤗🤗 is forged 🤣

[@AFAskygoddess]

I like the way you think

[@subliminalart.1637]

Wolfgang uncovered the real fraudsters, the so called art establishment.🤣

[@hildamunoz4336]

It's the circus surrounding the artist that is valued now, not the skill.

[@redangrybird7564]

He didn't fool art dealers, these are like used car salesmen, they buy cheap junk and sell for an inflated price, they know what they do, that is their "business"

[@MeganVictoriaKearns]

YES! EXACTLY! I don't understand why this isn't immediately obvious to people.

[@bertjilk3456]

Wow. Robert Plant is a painter too!

[@williamhattaway372]

I thought the same thing 😅😅

[@petrsson]

I bet that Wolfgang is laughing now,if he watches this documentary... 😎

[@ksbrook1430]

Genius misdirected. Fueled by the arrogance and greed of others in the art market.

[@hensonlaura]

Ha! He personifies arrogance & greed.

[@miketackabery7521]

​@@hensonlauraHa! They all do

[@TheLobstersoup]

What a sad thing for any artist to have all the skills, but too little of a personality to make a contribution to art on their own terms. He's just a greedy materialist.

[@AX1A]

“Best” is not Beltrachhi, best are never caught

[@Ddub1083]

lol some editor forgot to take the end parts out.

[@NonStoppie]

very interesting

[@rosepetal4534]

Why is he being praised? Is forgery a serious crime? Stealing Millions of dollars is ok for some people once it’s art?

[@onkelmarvin8360]

Well............if you have the abillity to replicate the works of old Masters, to a degree where people, not only believe it`s " The Real thing ", but are willing to buy it.............that`s actually a " Talent " in itself. He should`ve obviously used that Talent, to do his own original works of art, but apparently that was too much work............🤔

[@normanmerrill1241]

Brilliant

[@lindasapiecha2515]

Hes a great artists in his own right 😅

[@SimonZimmermann82]

Oh the irony. Tax cheats, criminals, bring fooled by other criminals. Love it

[@oksanatulpa7984]

The main juridical difference between a forgery and a copy is not how youi draw but how you try to sell . If you copy everything and don't pretentd it to be autorised thing - it'scopy . But to paint a good forgy is a great art too

[@ivanadzidic4012]

To forge paintings of great artists is anything but easy. Whoever thinks that faking artwork is a great option for lazy people doesn't know anything about art. This documentary contradicts itself at times. For instance, it is said he was extremely dedicated to studying the art of the artists he copied but also that he was lazy and wanted an easy way to make a profit. One can say he was motivated by money, one can even accuse him of putting money before art, but you cannot say it was easy money. He must have worked hard on forging art. Still, this was an interesting documentary.

[@donny121able]

Maybe people who understand art will know it takes more than being able to paint to be an artisti. In comparison to a genuine artist, one who spends years to establish themselves and many years adopting a style that stands out then forging is definitely easy money.

[@terrygause29653]

The greedy art world is more interested in autographs than art. It’s hard to feel sorry for any of them.

[@ayidabeneba4294]

He is a genius

[@anthonyvalentine4009]

BRITAIN'S No1 ART FORGER - MAX BRANDRETT, THE LIFE OF A CHEEKY FAKER biography is out now!

[@MrBcummings8521]

100 or 200 years from now his collection will be worth what they sold for just for the impact they had on the art culture...... the irony.

[@BabyHoolighan]

So where are the identified forgeries today? This is a unique collection of a certain value.

[@doncarlodivargas5497]

It is incredible how much time and energy some people spend to avoid spending time and energy, what about simply do as others, spend time and energy on creating art?

[@xanadood1]

"lazy, tacky, fake, opulent"? sounds like art buyers ~ amassing fortunes from so many dead poor folk with message and moral ~ good on the forgers!

[@PatFoteff]

With the exception of the money I would much rather have his paintings than the real thing.

[@Mrbeads]

He got cocky. It seems odd that he was making such mistakes as using coffee to age the gallery sticker; using titanium white (! so common to hear of forgers brought down by this); and then using modern glue!? So much for being meticulous.

[@JohnKelly-br5tf]

Tea

[@jackjones544]

Come on make BELTRACCHI THE MOVIE!!!!!!

[@plutoplatters]

I have a friend who's friend once at a wine tasting in which he put cheap wine into a fancy wine bottle and his friend was going on an on about the fantastic wine boasting to everyone there... then my friend told him what it was ! It caused a major change in their friendship.

[@Peleski]

But the placebo effect is real.

[@HS-mu8fp]

This man for the world presidency plz 👌

[@joeydelrio]

how did they get a harly davidson bike in germany back in the 60s, those things were hard to get when i was there in the 90s, his GF must have had a lot of money.

[@j.s.friedman9649]

Dude congrads you don't have to work at walmart right, Beltracchi

[@sarahpovey6368]

Having a god given talent like this is amazing but to use it the wrong way is a travesty 😢😢

[@geoffreypiltz271]

Somebody has probably already commented but - nobody knows who the world's greatest forger is, because the forgeries have never been detected.

[@fionabryant7923]

Lets see his early paintings!

[@gypsy1962]

Im waiting for the MOVIE.

[@erikjohansen1873]

In my opinion he didn't steal a dime . The collectors paid willingly for the fakes without authenticating the art.

[@ericenvironmentalist9429]

Ridiculously little punishment for such high dollar crimes. I think those swindled were powerful and did not want their names coming out as losers. So the art industry let the whole thing go quietly away.

[@Peleski]

It's that the perfect con?

[@Rando_Shyte]

I love how all these hacks are so jealous of this guys lifestyle. "He was lazy" "He didn't want to put in the work" lol fooled you

[@tamarrajames3590]

Seems to me he worked pretty hard on his art…and each was an original.🖤🇨🇦

[@lucreziawalker952]

He certainly wasn’t lazy and certainly put the work in!

[@eljanrimsa5843]

I'm pretty sure the greatest art forger hasn't been caught

[@LegalesePodcast]

How vain and arrogant do the art collectors in this documentary have to be to insist at the end that "his original works are disappointing... In fact, all his paintings are disappointing... He lacks any technical ability. He is a mediocre painter and he has always been a mediocre painter.".... These are the very same people who spent the first 45 minutes of the movie talking about the brilliance and skill of his forgeries. How even they had been by the quality of his fakes and could understand how collectors like them had been duped and swindled for millions and millions of dollars.

[@alexander_richter]

Now people are faking his fakes