Italian police seize 143 fake pop art works in Belgian-linked fraud investigation

Italian police have seized 143 fake pop-art works and are investigating a suspected Belgian fraud network linked to the forgeries.

The artworks, attributed to artists such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Banksy, were shown at an exhibition in southern Italy called “Pop to Street Art: Influences” held in the Calabria region between 2024 and 2025.

Authorities say the works were supplied by a Belgian company that rented out the pieces to the exhibition organisers for around €50,000. Visitors believed they were viewing genuine works, but police later discovered many of them were forgeries.

Initial investigations uncovered 133 fake pieces. A further 10 works were later seized in the Belgian city of Liege after cooperation between Italian and Belgian authorities. Another 11 pieces are still being examined.

Three Belgian men and three linked companies are now under investigation for suspected fraud. Police believe the group ran a wider criminal network producing and distributing mass-made counterfeit artworks of well-known pop and street artists. Officers described the fakes as “poor quality” and part of a clearly organised operation.

The investigation is ongoing.

^{An Andy Warhol exhibition in Paris © AFP PHOTO OLIVIER LABAN-MATTEI}