Spanish police thwart sale of fake Modigliani, El Greco, and Goya paintings

Spanish police have prevented the sale of three forged paintings attributed to Amedeo Modigliani, El Greco, and Francisco Goya. The operation, reported by El País, involved a collector from Toledo who, with the complicity of dealers and using false documents, was about to place the works on the German, Swiss, and Mexican markets. The total asking price was €12.5 million: €8.5 million for the fake Modigliani, €2.5 million for the fake El Greco, and €1.5 million for the fake Goya. The Institut Valencià de Conservació, Restauració i Investigació (IVCR+i) determined the Modigliani was a copy with an apocryphal signature. Experts from the Museo Sefardita de Toledo and the Museo del Prado in Madrid confirmed the El Greco and Goya works were counterfeits. The case has been referred to the Court of Instruction No. 2 of Ocaña (Toledo). The Amedeo Modigliani Foundation played a key role, with its Scientific Committee director Greta Garcia Hernandez analyzing the Modigliani forgery. Foundation President Fabrizio Checchi stated that scientific research is essential to combat the forgery phenomenon, which has plagued Modigliani's work for over a century.