On the trail of art forgers - The concealed side of the antiquities trade | DW Documentary

When a long-lost bronze of Alexander the Great suddenly turns up in Greece, experts are suspicious. This DW documentary follows archaeologist Stephan Lehmann as he follows the trail of the art forgers.

Stephan Lehmann has uncovered around 50 suspected forged artworks to date - in the marketplace, in private collections and even in museums. Now, a large bronze of Alexander the Great has resurfaced in Greece. It was owned by a British art dealer and was handed back to Greece as previously looted art. But Lehmann and other experts say it’s a fake.

Due to his work, archaeologist Stephan Lehmann is not always a popular figure: in the art trade and the museum world, many people prefer to sweep the problem of forgeries under the rug. But one anonymous Swiss collector decided to confront the issue. He sent Lehmann an allegedly ancient but highly dubious bronze depicting Emperor Augustus, which he had purchased for several hundred thousand dollars in New York. Lehmann examined it and had it X-rayed at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute, using one of the most powerful CT scanners in the world. Testing the material an artwork is made of can not only uncover forgeries; it can also shed light on how forgers go about their work.

This documentary sets out on the trail of art forgers, uncovering a dark and concealed side of the antiquities trade. It reveals just how good forgeries can be. Fakes have even sometimes turned up among supposedly looted works being returned to states as part of the restitution process.