logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
8m 37s

The World's Greatest Art Fraud - The Wol...

Ray William Johnson
About this episode

The Wolfgang Beltracchi case is one of the most notorious art forgery scandals in history, where Beltracchi faked hundreds of paintings in the style of famous artists like Max Ernst, Heinrich Campendonk, and Fernand Léger. Rather than copying existing works, he created "newly discovered" paintings, complete with forged provenance, which fooled experts, collectors, and museums for decades. His scheme unraveled in 2010 when forensic testing detected modern titanium white paint in one of his supposed early 20th-century works.Wolfgang is not foine.

Up next
Yesterday
This Lawsuit Destroyed Him // The Roy Pearson Lawsuit Scandal
In 2005, Washington, D.C. administrative law judge Roy L. Pearson Jr. dropped off a pair of suit trousers for alteration at Custom Cleaners, a small neighborhood business owned by South Korean immigrants Soo and Jin Chung. [1, 2]When the cleaners misplaced the pants—and later pre ... Show More
9m 6s
Nov 3
His Dark Secret Got Exposed // The Mark Redwine Murder Story
Mark Redwine was convicted of second degree murder after the November 2012 disappearance and murder of his son, Dylan Redwine, during a court-ordered Thanksgiving custody visit in Vallecito, Colorado. 
8m 43s
Nov 2
They Tried To Kill Him 10 Times // The Michael Malloy Murder Story
In 1933, a homeless man named Michael Malloy became the target of a deadly $3,500 life insurance fraud scheme orchestrated by a five-man gang. Assuming Malloy's severe alcoholism would make him an easy victim, the conspirators repeatedly attempted to kill him for the insurance mo ... Show More
8m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
Wolfgang Beltracchi - The Art of Fraud (encore)
Wolfgang Beltracchi is possibly the most artful forgers ever to have gotten into the game. While most would create a forgery by meticulously copying every line, shape and color in a known masterpiece, Beltracchi studied the artist then made his own original compositions imagining ... Show More
43m 55s
Jun 2023
Jean Michel FAKE-quiat: the Radiant Fraudsters
<p>Basquiat started as a graffiti artist but soon through talent and ambition he became one of the greatest painters in American history, an artist whose works regularly set records for their auction prices. And you know what that means… crime! Meet the art fraudsters pushing fak ... Show More
52m 23s
Jan 2024
Artistic License to Steal
A wannabe art dealer sells fake works by American masters of Abstract Expressionism in an $80 million scam, fooling rich collectors and pocketing millions. (Original air date: 8/20/2018) 
40m 43s
Apr 2023
Buyer Beware: The Secrets Of A Former Art Forger
The art of Ken Perenyi is remarkable, but it's extremely difficult to detect which pieces are his. As a teenager, Ken entered New York City's art scene, admiring famous pieces alongside artists and celebrities alike. Feeling inspired to learn the craft, he taught himself how to p ... Show More
1h 24m
Sep 2025
True Lies and Genuine Fakes
In 1998, an art gallery gets a mysterious phone call. The caller claims they have been fooled by a master forger and that many of their prized paintings are fakes. Or are they? This is the story of the life and lies of the notorious Eric Hebborn. What did he do, and what does tha ... Show More
41m 6s
Sep 2023
Portrait of a Con Artist: Unraveling the Art World's Greatest Deception
For years, Helge Achenbach has been among the world’s most successful art dealers. But with one treacherous move, he lands in prison. In Season 6 of Chameleon: Gallery of Lies, host Bijan Stephen sets out on the international trail of the most famous criminal you’ve never heard o ... Show More
6m 24s
Nov 2023
Tony Tetro: The Art Forger's Forger
Tony Tetro wasn't the kind of artist who felt the call of inspiration. Instead, he used his talents to forge the masterpieces of great artists. But he really found his way when he started doing forgeries of the great forger, Elmyr de Hory. Come for the art crimes, stay for fact t ... Show More
49m 26s
Jul 2022
The case of the fake Basquiats
Art crime is booming and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s paintings (or at least some very realistic forgeries) are the loot du jour. Reporter Brett Sokol and a guy who used to forge Basquiats explain. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, fact-checked by Matt Collette, engineered by ... Show More
26m 6s