Art forgery
A great story about art forger Wolfgang Beltracchi.
It is a crime to forge another artists work but I consider it more of a soft crime -- the people who buy paintings for $120,000 have money to spend and the forgeries take on a certain notoriety and value themselves.
From Joshua Hammer writing at
Vanity Fair:
The Greatest Fake-Art Scam in History?
Nobody in Freiburg could remember a party quite like it. The date was September 22, 2007, and Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi, affluent newcomers to this lively university town near Germany�s Black Forest, had invited friends and neighbors to celebrate a milestone. Workers had just put the finishing touches on their $7 million villa, after 19 months of extensive renovations. Lanterns lit up the cobblestone walkway to the hillside house, a five-level minimalist structure with a glass and Siberian-larch-wood fa�ade, steel beams, pastel-colored tile floors, and contemporary paintings and sculptures filling every room. The staff of Freiburg�s luxurious Colombi Hotel�where the Beltracchis had lodged in a $700-a-night penthouse suite when they were in town during the remodeling�had prepared the ample food and drink, including magnums of fine champagne. The Beltracchis had even flown in a celebrated four-member flamenco band from Granada to dance and sing for their 100 guests.
A long article but a delightful read. Great story and the Beltracchis sound like they would be great people to hang out with (as long as you aren't into art collecting).
Posted by DaveH at October 11, 2012 9:11 PM