Wolfgang Beltracchi, one of the most infamous art forgers of all time, is entering the NFT world.
Beltracchi is behind a project labelled ‘The Greats’ which consists of 4,608 NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain.
Beltracchi will be recreating Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi – the world’s most expensive painting.
The forger will be channelling the style of several legendary artists such as Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, and Roy Lichenstein.
The artwork was sold for $450m to Prince Badr bin Abdullah on behalf of Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.
Beltracchi has copied pieces of art painted by the likes of Max Ernst, Heinrich Campendonk, and Fernand Léger.
The German, who spent three years in prison for forgery, has replicated Salvator Mundi in seven different eras of art history.
“Beltracchi is the only person with the necessary skills to implement it,” said the spokesperson.
“He has managed to fool the ‘art experts’ hundreds of times with his re-creations of famous painters’ work.”
Beltracchi was found guilty of forging 14 pieces of work that sold for $45m, but others put the figure at more than $100m.
Due to his criminal past, he has been banned by galleries, art museums, and auction houses who refuse to exhibit and sell his art.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author should not be considered as financial advice. We do not give advice on financial products.