A brazen scheme to flood the art market with forgeries of Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti’s work unfolded over decades, culminating in the destruction of over 1,300 fake bronze figures. The operation, led by art forger Robert Driessen, involved a network of criminals and deceived buyers, and ultimately led to arrests in Europe and a continuing evasion of justice for Driessen himself, who remains at large in Thailand.
“I am a Forger, but I Make Art”
Today, Robert Driessen, 66, lives on Koh Samui, Thailand, openly discussing his past and continuing to create and sell copies of artwork – though he now avoids replicating signatures. His story, and the extensive fraud he perpetrated, is the subject of renewed scrutiny in the NDR Kultur podcast “Kunstverbrechen” and the ARD documentary series “Millionen Fake.”
Driessen began his career in the 1970s copying oil paintings and adding signatures of famous artists, quickly escalating to forging bronze sculptures in the 1990s. He partnered with art dealer Herbert Schulte, who commissioned hundreds of Giacometti forgeries. These were discreetly cast in a small foundry in Arnhem, Netherlands, and fraudulently marked with the hallmarks of legitimate French foundries that had worked with Giacometti.
The illicit trade operated through regular meetings at a rest stop on the A1 highway near Cologne, where Driessen and Schulte exchanged the forgeries for cash, jewelry, diamonds, or genuine artwork. The sculptures then passed to Lothar Senke, who sold them under the alias “Reichsgraf von Waldstein,” leveraging a fabricated aristocratic title to impress potential buyers.
A Web of Deceit
Senke and Schulte concocted a false provenance for the sculptures, claiming they were secret casts made by Giacometti’s brother, Diego. This story, detailed in their book “Diegos Rache” (Diego’s Revenge), was used to justify the unusually high volume of works available. Senke targeted buyers lacking deep art expertise, appealing to their desire for status symbols and the promise of a bargain.
One notable buyer was Wolfgang Schuppli, a billionaire businessman who purchased 52 forged figures for a six-figure sum. In total, the trio defrauded buyers out of approximately eight million euros.
The scheme began to unravel in 2001 when the trio attempted to sell multiple Giacometti figures to a Swiss collector simultaneously. This prompted an investigation led by Ernst Schöller of the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office, who posed as a potential buyer and ultimately led to Schulte’s arrest.
Justice Served – and Evaded
Despite Schulte’s lengthy legal battles, Senke continued selling forgeries until 2009, when he was apprehended at Frankfurt Airport. Driessen, meanwhile, fled to Thailand. In 2011, Senke received a nine-year prison sentence, and Schulte received seven and a half years. Driessen was eventually arrested in the Netherlands in 2014 and extradited to Germany, where he was sentenced to five years and six months – the harshest penalty ever imposed in a European art forgery case.
Upon his release, Driessen returned to Thailand, where he continues to produce and sell art copies, but no longer replicates signatures. The remaining 1,000 forged sculptures were discovered in a Mainz warehouse and publicly destroyed in Süßen, Germany, in 2012.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the scale of the forgery operation?
The trio created over 1,300 forged sculptures of Alberto Giacometti’s work, defrauding buyers out of approximately eight million euros.
Where is Robert Driessen now?
Robert Driessen currently lives on Koh Samui, Thailand, where he continues to create and sell copies of artwork.
How did the police eventually uncover the fraud?
The scheme was uncovered after the trio attempted to sell multiple Giacometti figures to a Swiss collector, prompting an investigation by German authorities.
Given Driessen’s continued activity in Thailand, and the enduring appeal of valuable artwork, could similar forgery schemes emerge in the future, and what measures might be taken to prevent them?
