Cagliari, on trial for a fake Toulouse-Lautrec

He was put on trial for attempting to sell, for one hundred thousand euros, a fake work by the French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by the renowned critic Federico Zeri: obviously, this too was fake. Massimo Mungianu, 52, from Cagliari, was scheduled to appear yesterday morning before Judge Federico Loche for the start of the hearing, but an impediment led to the postponement of the trial, which will begin in March before a different judge.

The false work

According to the charges filed by Public Prosecutor Andrea Vacca, who issued the summons, the 52-year-old allegedly passed off the painting "Modista" as authentic by placing an ad on Subito.com, a 1900 painting measuring 25 by 33 centimeters. The indictment alleges that the incident occurred on July 16, 2021, and, according to the Prosecutor's Office, a fake self-certification attributed to Federico Zeri certified the authenticity of the work forged by the French artist. The investigation has not determined who counterfeited the famous painting by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, nor how the defendant—represented by attorney Gianluca Aste—obtained it. The first hearing was postponed yesterday morning; the trial will begin in March before Judge Michele Contini.

The artist

The French painter, illustrator, and lithographer (born 1864, died 1901) is considered one of the great masters of Post-Impressionism. He is famous for his depictions of late-19th-century Parisian nightlife, particularly the cabarets and clubs of Montmartre, such as the Moulin Rouge. In addition to painting, Toulouse-Lautrec was also an innovator in advertising graphics, creating famous posters that have shaped the history of modern art. It's impossible to determine the value of the painting if it were an original (the artist used various techniques, and prices range from millions of euros for unique tempera works to tens of thousands of euros for lithographs), but—according to the dispute—the asking price in the ad was around 100,000 euros.

The fake certificate

The 52-year-old is also accused of having attached a fake certificate of authenticity signed by Federico Zeri, an art historian who died in 1998 and one of the greatest Italian critics of all time.

Francesco Pinna