Trade in counterfeit Picasso and Klee paintings uncovered

The police operation dubbed "Minotaur bis" led to the seizure of 104 counterfeit works, the agency wrote on Friday. The counterfeits had mainly been placed on the US market. The economic damage amounted to around one million francs.

The investigations began in November 2022 and revealed that the counterfeiters used sheets of paper with fake watermarks. Scanned images of authentic works and sophisticated printing techniques also came to light. In order to give the impression of authenticity, the paper had been artificially aged using coffee or tea baths.

The public prosecutor's office in Rome had submitted requests for legal assistance for the investigations in several European countries, "Adnkronos" continued. The investigations have been coordinated with the police authorities of several countries.