Sur Arte, l’affaire Ruffini ou l’autopsie d’un scandale hors norme dans le monde de l’art
The documentary series "Le Peintre, la Pizza et le Corbeau" (The Painter, the Pizza and the Crow), available on ARTE, investigates a sprawling art forgery scandal centered on discreet dealer Giuliano Ruffini. Beginning in spring 2014 with an anonymous letter, the case led to a judicial inquiry by judge Aude Burési and France's Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Goods (OCBC). The series follows multiple suspicious artworks—including a Lucas Cranach Venus seized from an exhibition at the Hôtel de Caumont, a David and Goliath by Artemisia Gentileschi, and a Frans Hals portrait—each raising questions of authenticity. Ruffini, a former painter turned collector, remains an enigmatic figure, portrayed as both intuitive genius and possible cog in an opaque system.
This documentary matters because it exposes the fragile foundations of the old master art market, where value depends on expert connoisseurship and scientific analysis that can contradict each other. The series highlights how a single forgery case can unravel international collections, implicate prestigious institutions like the Princely Collection of Liechtenstein, and blur the line between negligence and fraud. By making a complex judicial thriller accessible, it raises urgent questions about trust, expertise, and truth in the art world.