American Greed: Scams, Scoundrels and Scandals Season 6 Episode 7 Fine Art: A Portrait of Fraud

In the sixth season of American Greed: Scams, Scoundrels and Scandals, episode 7 titled "Fine Art: A Portrait of Fraud," the series delves into the world of high-value art fraud. With pieces of art fetching millions of dollars at auction, it's no surprise that the world of fine art is a target for fraudsters. This episode investigates several cases of art fraud where schemers have relied on deception, fake certificates, and sophisticated forgeries to scam collectors and museums.

The episode first introduces John Drewe, a British con artist who exploits the world of fine art by persuading galleries and museums into purchasing fake paintings. Drewe uses his charm and intelligence to forge provenance documents and dupe respected art institutions into believing that the paintings are genuine. Over several years, Drewe's art scam earns him millions but eventually, his masterpiece is his undoing.

The next story follows the case of Brazilian art dealer, Tatiana Tavares. Tavares is an up-and-coming art dealer who convinces investors to pump money into her art investment fund by promising high returns. She claims to have access to valuable and exclusive art but instead uses the investor's money for personal expenses. Her fraudulent scheme comes unraveled, and Tavares is caught and tried for multiple fraud and money-laundering charges.

Moving to New York, the series sheds light on Glafira Rosales, who sold phoney masterpieces of famous artists like Mark Rothko, Robert Motherwell, and Jackson Pollock. Rosales' scheme ran for over 15 years and involved her selling paintings made by a Chinese artist. She used the same business methods to convince an art restorer and dealer into purchasing the paintings of the famous abstract expressionists. Rosales' deception is finally revealed when an art forgery investigator stumbles upon inconsistencies in the provenance of the paintings.

The last story follows the scandal of a Utah man named Greg Kunz. Kunz sells paintings on eBay, claiming that they are pieces of contemporary art by artists such as Damien Hirst, Banksy, and Yayoi Kusama. He maintains that he purchased the artworks from dealers and art collectors when, in reality, he printed them off from his home computer. He uses eBay to market these fakes across the world, and the unsuspecting buyers pay substantial amounts of money for the phoney works. When Kunz's home is raided by FBI officers, they find thousands of counterfeit prints.

In conclusion, the American Greed season 6 episode 7 "Fine Art: A Portrait of Fraud" uncovers the lengths that art scammers will go to defraud buyers and art establishments. It presents a perspective on art fraud and the greed that fuels it. Moreover, this episode underscores how crucial it is to have proper due diligence when investing in fine art.