The Collectors Who Lent Two Dozen Allegedly Fake Artworks to a Major Belgian Museum Have Been Arrested

The fallout from an exhibition of Russian avant-garde art that was
overshadowed by allegations that it included numerous
fakes continues, following the arrest of the two
collectors at the center of the scandal.

Igor and Olga Toporovsky, who lent works to the Museum of
Fine Arts in Ghent for a 2017 exhibition titled “Russian Modernism,
1910–30,” were taken into custody late last month by Belgian
police. The husband-and-wife duo, who gave artworks supposedly by Kandinsky, Malevich, and
Goncharova, face allegations of fraud, money laundering, and forgery, although
no official charges have been made.

The
collectors were detained after complaints were filed by an
international group of art dealers and
collectors. The group’s
lawyer, Geert Lenssens, told the Art Newspaper: “The Toporovskys were arrested early last
month by the Belgian federal police after a criminal complaint
deposited 18 months ago by our clients.” It is unclear if the pair
are still in custody.

The
Toporovskys’ lawyer, Sébastien Watelet, did not immediately respond
to questions from Artnet News. He told the Art
Newspaper that his clients would comment soon.

In 2018, Belgian police carried out raids in a hunt for fake
Russian art, although it is unclear if the couple’s arrest stems
from the same
investigation. The market for Russian avant-garde art has long been
plagued by fakes, but the Belgian case stands out because of the
international stature of the borrowing institution. 
 

The
Brussels-based Dieleghem Foundation, founded by
Igor Toporovsky, lent 24 works to the Museum of Fine Arts
exhibition, immediately setting off alarm bells among
experts. A group of
scholars and dealers expressed their
doubts about the
authenticity of many of the works on show, writing an open
letter pointing out
that key works lacked exhibition histories and had never appeared
in scholarly publications. The exhibition thereafter closed
early. 

The
furor over the show led to the
indefinite suspension of the museum’s
director, Catherine de
Zegher. A respected curator of contemporary art, she has not
returned to her post. Her treatment has been criticized by CIMAM, a
committee of leading museum directors and curators. In a statement
issued last year, the group said that
accusations against De
Zegher had “caused considerable damage to her reputation as a
museum professional and curator of the highest standing
internationally.” 

The
scandal threatens to cast a shadow over the museum’s unprecedented
exhibition of works by Jan van Eyck, titled “An Optical
Revolution,” which brings together more than half of his known
works. The show will be open from February 1 through April
30.

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Artworks to a Major Belgian Museum Have Been Arrested appeared
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