A German museum employee, convicted of swapping an original artwork with a fake and selling it at auction, has been given a 21-month suspension and a hefty fine.
In a shocking case of art theft and audacious spending, a German museum worker has been convicted and handed a 21-month suspension. The individual, a 30-year-old former employee of the Deutsches Museum in Munich, orchestrated a scheme involving the substitution of an original artwork with a counterfeit, subsequently using the proceeds to purchase a luxury car and expensive watches, as reported by CNN.
The art piece at the center of the scandal is "Das Märchen vom Froschkönig" (The Tale of the Frog Prince) by renowned artist Franz von Stuck. The perpetrator, who worked at the museum from May 2016 to April 2018, secretly replaced the authentic painting with a fake version, then cleverly put the original up for auction.
In addition to the suspension, the individual was slapped with a hefty fine of 60,600 euros for the theft. To perpetrate his deception, he spun a web of lies by falsely claiming that the painting had been a cherished family heirloom, supposedly belonging to his grandparents.
The stolen artwork eventually fetched 70,000 euros at auction, with the culprit netting 50,000 euros after accounting for auction fees. Shockingly, this substantial sum was squandered on the purchase of a Rolls Royce luxury car, lavish watches, and the repayment of existing debts. When questioned about his motives, the Munich District Court, in a press release, noted that he acted impulsively and struggled to explain his actions.
"The defendant shamelessly exploited the opportunity to gain access to the storage rooms and sold valuable cultural treasures to fund a lavish lifestyle and showcase his wealth," the court added.
In a further twist to the case, the individual managed to pilfer three more paintings from the museum's storage facility. He successfully sold two of these stolen artworks: "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. However, his attempts to sell the third painting proved futile.
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 "Museum employee swaps genuine art with fakes, buys Rolls Royce")
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