Scandalous Twist: German Museum Employee Trades Rare Painting for Counterfeit, Funds Lavish Lifestyle
German museum employee sentenced for swapping painting with fake to finance lavish lifestyle, including luxury cars and watches
According to a Munich court, an unnamed German museum employee replaced an original painting with a counterfeit one and proceeded to sell the authentic artwork to indulge in luxury items such as Rolls Royce cars and expensive watches. In addition to this crime, the 30-year-old man was also found guilty of stealing three other artworks. Although he managed to evade imprisonment, he received a 21-month suspended sentence and was mandated to reimburse the museum with over 60,600 euros ($64,200).
The Munich District Court, in a press release on Monday, stated that its sentence considered the fact that the man had confessed and displayed true regret. According to the court ruling, he claimed to have acted impulsively and is unable to provide an explanation for his actions at present.
The individual, employed by the Deutsches Museum in Munich, was engaged in collection management from May 2016 to April 2018. Within this period, the man orchestrated the theft of Franz von Stuck's "Das Märchen vom Froschkönig" (The Tale of the Frog Prince), substituting it with a counterfeit and offering the genuine piece for auction. Dishonestly, he falsified the painting's lineage, claiming it had once been in possession of his grandparents or great-grandparents, while dealing with a Munich auction house. Subsequently, the artwork was sold to a Swiss gallery for 70,000 euros ($74,000), with the man receiving approximately 50,000 euros ($52,000) in cash, post deduction of auction fees.
"Das Märchen vom Froschkönig" (The Tale of the Frog Prince) by Franz von Stuck.
He additionally pilfered three additional paintings from the museum's storage unit, managing to sell two of them: "Die Weinprüfung" (The Wine Test) by Eduard von Grützner and "Zwei Mädchen beim Holzsammeln im Gebirge" (Two Girls Collecting Wood in the Mountains) by Franz von Defregger. One of the artworks was auctioned off, while the other was bought directly by the auction house, earning him an additional sum of 11,490 euros ($12,184).
The court stated that he utilized the funds to settle outstanding debts and finance a lavish way of life. Additionally, the court mentioned that he shamelessly took advantage of the opportunity to access storage rooms and sold valuable cultural artifacts in order to maintain a luxurious lifestyle and exhibit his wealth. In an effort to reclaim the stolen treasures, the British Museum appeals to the public for assistance.
The man also tried to sell the other stolen painting, "Dirndl" by Franz von Defregger, at another auction house in Munich, but it remained unsold. Ketterer Kunst, the auction house responsible for the three successful sales, stated in an email to CNN that they were unable to recognize them as stolen items.
"We have conducted thorough research and fulfilled our duty of care completely," stated a representative from the auction house. They expressed regret over the theft of the works from the museum and highlighted their close cooperation with the police from the beginning of the investigation. Furthermore, they assured that all relevant documents have been handed over to assist in resolving the case.
Meanwhile, the Deutsches Museum informed CNN that they are actively working towards recovering the stolen paintings. In an email, a spokesperson disclosed their efforts to reverse the sales and revealed that one of the paintings is already under the possession of the police.
The spokesperson stated that the section where the paintings were stolen from is adequately protected and that the museum had verified the man's background, confirming his clean criminal record.
