NEW YORK — About a year ago, art dealer Robert Rogal met a young woman named Karolina Bankowska in his New York showroom. She wanted to sell a family heirloom: a painting allegedly by Andrew Wyeth. It looked like one of his early watercolors. Curious, Rogal agreed to sell it, thinking it could bring in $20,000 to $30,000 at auction.
At first, the painting seemed credible, even if the history behind it was unclear. But Rogal later discovered it was a fake—part of a larger scheme involving at least 200 counterfeits, according to federal prosecutors. Bankowska, 26, and her father, Erwin Bankowski, 50, pleaded guilty to defrauding art buyers of at least $2 million.
The forgeries were made in Poland by an unnamed accomplice. They imitated works by well-known artists like Banksy and Andy Warhol. One notable fake, attributed to Richard Mayhew, was sold last October for a whopping $160,000 by the auction house DuMouchelles.
DuMouchelles affirmed their cooperation with federal authorities but did not provide further comments. Other auction houses, such as Bonhams and Phillips, also remained tight-lipped when asked about their involvement.
The Bankowskis, who reside in New Jersey but are from Poland, are facing charges related to wire fraud and misrepresentation, particularly for mimicking Native American artist Fritz Scholder. They could each face more than three years in prison and owe nearly $1.9 million in restitution, along with the risk of being deported back to Poland.
In court, Bankowska admitted her wrongdoing, stating, “My conduct was wrong and I am guilty.” Her attorney highlighted that she had placed over $1 million into an escrow account. Her father expressed regret, claiming he made poor choices to support his family.
Experts noted that cases of art forgery are common, but many in the industry may not want to acknowledge how pervasive the issue is. Erin Thompson, a professor specializing in art crime at the City University of New York, shared her insights, saying, “The only unusual thing about this case is that the forgers got caught. The art world may seem cultured and refined, but many fakes lurk behind the scenes.”
The Bankowskis started commissioning these forgeries in 2020, using aged paper and forged stamps to authenticate their works. They even took names from long-gone galleries to make their fakes more believable.
Eventually, their scheme drew attention. In March 2023, representatives for artist Raimonds Staprans discovered one of his purported paintings for sale. The forged piece, titled “Triple Boats,” had been sold for $60,000 before they intervened.
Thompson noted specific errors in the fakes. For instance, the gallery stamp on the back of the Wyeth painting dated to 1976 but included an outdated address from 1962. Coincidentally, the stamp was from M. Knoedler & Co., a once-reputable gallery that closed in 2011 over counterfeit scandals involving notable artists like Jackson Pollock.
Rogal never listed the Wyeth painting for auction because it raised suspicions. When he called Bankowska to pick it up, she didn’t respond. Reflecting on the experience, Rogal acknowledged the challenges of distinguishing real art from forgeries: “You try to do a service and provide it correctly. Can we be fooled? Absolutely.”
Source link
