Arne Birkenstock’s Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery shows the workings of the art world during the past decade, if not decades prior. During this decade, the market runs the art world, as said market buys works from masters from the past century, if not centuries past. The market runs on certainty, that this painter did paint this artwork. The titular subject in this film, Wolfgang Beltracchi, disrupts that certainty by flooding the market with dozens, if not hundreds of forgeries. This film, then, shows these forgeries, attested and alleged, and shows the lifestyle that he and his wife Helene lived by profiting from these forgeries.

Forgery is not an easy crime, but I’m sure most great criminals work really hard. After painting what looks like a fake Kandinsky, Wolfgang rebuilds a makeshift oven to make sure that the canvas looks as dry as if Kandinsky himself painted it a century ago. That’s just the middle process of many that Beltracchi shows. There’s him and Helene going to local estate sales to find the kind of canvas backing that art authenticators would look over. The film captures all of this days before the couple goes to prison, after authorities have the proper evidence to arrest him.

Beltracchi is still interesting, as it uses both the Beltracchis and art world experts as interviewees. In doing so, it shows viewers the lies that the couple tell. And it shows the art world that wanted to believe them. Although there are many moments when the film lags. It shows the locales that where the couple visit through long establishing shots. There’s also montages of the couple when they were younger. By showing Helene as mostly arm candy, these scenes feel like it’s minimizing her role in his dealings. Those montages have a rock score that feels inappropriate. They also show their children who don’t show up as interviewees until later in the film.

But somehow, the art world interviewees rescue Beltracchi from losing its message in the weeds. One of these interviewees explain there are those who copy. And there are the real artists, those who find inspiration to make their own work. Wolfgang mostly forged masters from the early 20th century. The latter made art even while knowing that a war may destroy their work. I’ll paperclip that statement with another. To me, art reflects either the current context or has new things to say about the past. The film half argues that Wolfgang’s works are the latter. So yes, I’ll give brownie points to a film that hints at such a brave statement.

Watch Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery on OVID as part of their unofficial art series.