A Polish father-daughter duo, Erwin Bankowski (50) and Karolina Bankowska (26), orchestrated a major art forgery scheme between 2020 and 2025, selling over 200 fake artworks attributed to Andy Warhol, Banksy, Pablo Picasso, Andrew Wyeth, and others through top auction houses and galleries in New York and across the United States. They pleaded guilty in federal court in Brooklyn to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and misrepresentation of Native American goods, facing up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing set for August 5. The fakes, produced by an unidentified Polish artist, were sold for at least $2 million, with the highest known sale being a fake Richard Mayhew landscape that fetched $160,000 at DuMouchelles in Detroit.
This case matters because it exposes vulnerabilities in the art market's authentication and provenance systems, even at prestigious institutions like Bonhams, Phillips, and Freeman's. The forgers exploited gaps in documentation by targeting lesser-known works by famous artists and fabricating elaborate provenances using old books, custom stamps, and forged certificates. The scheme highlights how easily the art world can be deceived when trust in provenance and institutional reputation overrides rigorous verification, potentially undermining collector confidence and prompting calls for stricter due diligence practices across the industry.