Wolfgang Beltracchi shocked Japan by forging 67 million yen

The Tokushima Museum of Modern Art can finally breathe a sigh of relief after years of displaying phantom masterpieces. One of the paintings, long revered as the work of French Cubist Jean Metzinger, has been exposed as a sophisticated forgery by the notorious “genius forger” Wolfgang Beltracchi. As of last Wednesday, the museum had issued a full refund of 67.2 million yen (about $426,000) for the fake painting, ending an investigation into one of the country’s most expensive art scandals.

Synthetic pigments betray fakes

The paintings in question, On the cycling track 55purchased by Tokushima Prefectural Government in January 1999. At the time, it was believed to have been created by Jean Metzinger between 1911 and 1912.

Suspicions began in 2024, when the museum launched a rigorous investigation with the assistance of the National Institute of Cultural Properties in Tokyo, which revealed shocking facts: The artworks contained synthetic pigments that were not commercially available until after the mid-20th century, decades after Messinger was active.

Instead, the mastermind turned out to be German artist Wolfgang Beltracchi, who was serving a three-year prison sentence for flooding the global market with hundreds of convincing forgeries of masterpieces by the likes of Max Ernst and Fernand Léger. Beltracci claimed to have forged approximately 300 works.

“I don’t just paint for money,” Beltracci said Japan Broadcasting Corporation in an interview last year. “The ecstasy was overwhelming. Just imagine it. Everyone was nodding in agreement and saying, ‘This is amazing.’ I enjoyed that.”

Decades of deception coming to an end

Fortunately for the museum, the saga ended with a financial recovery. The seller of the painting also believed the artwork was legitimate at the time of purchase and therefore agreed to a return and refund.

The prefectural government received a full refund of 67.2 million yen on October 22, and the forged canvas was officially returned to the company on November 18. The museum is currently taking bureaucratic steps to remove the fakes, and the corresponding acquisition prices, from its official asset books.

Before being shipped out, the museum gave the public one final, honest look at the fake On the cycling track 55 It was on display in May and June, but this time it’s paired with panels detailing the fascinating background of its deceptive history.

Following several other forgeries that have come to light, Tokushima’s high-profile forgery case is the latest to illustrate the surprising extent of Beltracci’s influence on the Japanese art world: a painting believed to be Kiki Montparnasse Author: Moïse Kisling, Okayama Prefecture; Fake Heinrich Kampendonk girl and swan in Kochi Prefecture; and suspected forgery Alfred Fleischheim Created by Marie Laurencin and now in the collection of the Tokyo Gallery.

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Updated on November 26, 2025