Spanish police have seized five fake paintings by Goya and Velázquez, reportedly valued at $84 million. The works will be displayed in an exhibition of seized forgeries curated by the Spanish police
Four of the works were being marketed as works by Francisco Goya and the fifth as Diego Velázquez. Researchers learned about the paintings earlier this year when sellers offered them to various art dealers, the London Times reported. Police from the Historical Heritage division confiscated the works in two separate raids on the coastal city of Valencia - the fake Velázquez on Feb. 8 and the rest a few weeks later.
Authorities are investigating four suspects, who were interviewed but not arrested, CNN reported. Sellers also allegedly produced false provenance documents in hopes of fooling potential collectors into believing these workers were genuine.
"The most important thing about this crime is that it devalues the work of our creators, in this case, the great painters of our history," said Gabriela Bravo, head of the regional government's justice department, in a statement, noting that the forgery of works of art it is the fourth most lucrative type of crime in Spain, after drugs, weapons and prostitution.
Manuela Mena, a Goya expert, and David Gimilio, an art technician at the Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia, confirmed that the works were forgeries - but it doesn't seem that hard to tell.