Italian officials said they had dismantled a Europe-wide network of forgers and dealers selling works purported to be by A-list artists, mostly through auction houses.

Italian authorities have cracked a network of art forgers who made and sold fake works by Warhol, Banksy, Picasso and others.

The fake art included forged works by Banksy, Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. The operation, led by Pisa's Chief Prosecutor Teresa Angela Camelio, marks a major blow to art crime in Europe.

Italy’s art police are investigating 38 people being and have seized more than 2,000 works of art since beginning the operation in 2023.

Italian police have uncovered a pan-European forgery ring responsible for producing and selling counterfeit artworks attributed to dozens artists including Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí and Banksy.

38 people across Europe are suspected of involvement in a sweeping scheme to create and sell fake works attributed to Banksy, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol, among other marquee 19th, 20th, and 21st century artists, Italian authorities revealed on Monday.

The operation uncovered a network of forgers in Spain, France and Belgium who produced the works, said Eurojust, the European Union agency for judicial cooperation.

Italian police have uncovered a large-scale pan-European forgery network making and selling fake artworks attributed to some of the biggest names in modern and contemporary art, including Banksy, Pablo Picasso,

Over 2,100 pieces of forged artwork were recovered, which were supposedly by Banksy, Salvador Dalí, Gustav Klimt, Joan Miró, Andy Warhol, and Pablo Picasso, and were potentially worth about €200m (£165m).