Police officers displayed 21 artworks they think are forgeries of Salvador Dalí’s pieces after seizing them at an exhibition in Parma, Italy.Credit...Carabinieri/Handout, via Via Reuters
The Carabinieri Art Squad aka Italy's art police seized 21 suspected fake Salvador Dalí lithographs from a Parma exhibition titled “Salvador Dalí, Between Art and Myth.” The seizure followed months of investigation after similar concerns arose when the show was previously held in Rome.
Lt. Col. Diego Polio of the art theft squad said the exhibit lacked major works and raised red flags. Experts from the Dalí Foundation in Spain reviewed the pieces and questioned the authenticity of 21 lithographs, prompting prosecutors to order their seizure.
The exhibition’s curator, Vincenzo Sanfo, defended the works, claiming they were legitimate and supported by documentation. He said most came from the “Les Chevaux de Dalí” series, published with the artist’s consent in 1983.
The Dalí Foundation, which was not involved in the Parma show, said it had raised concerns about several pieces early on. A major foundation-backed Dalí exhibit opens in Rome this month with fully authenticated works.
The Carabinieri Art Squad is known for tackling both theft and forgery. Just last year, the Carabinieri broke up a Europe-wide forgery ring and seized 450 counterfeit works in Pisa!
J.Larson
