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Italy Seizes 21 Suspected Fake Dalí Works From Parma Exhibition

A Rome court ordered the raid after Dalí Foundation experts questioned the works' provenance, prompting technical inspections.

Carabinieri officers hold one of the 21 artworks presumed to be inauthentic and falsely attributed to Salvador Dali, seized during an exhibition in Parma following an investigation by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office, in Rome, Italy, in this handout picture obtained on October 1, 2025. Carabinieri/Handout via REUTERS    THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY

Overview

  • The Carabinieri art crime squad confiscated 21 pieces from “Dalí, Between Art and Myth” at Palazzo Tarasconi, comprising 18 lithographs and three drawings reportedly loaned by two Italian individuals.
  • The exhibition of roughly 80 works reopened in Parma on September 27 after a January–July run in Rome, where a routine check first flagged anomalies and the Dalí Foundation later raised doubts.
  • Italy’s culture ministry will examine the seized items, which could be permanently confiscated if deemed inauthentic, with prosecutors weighing potential charges for forgery or dealing in counterfeits.
  • Authorities emphasized that the artworks are presumed fake based on preliminary findings and that the presumption of innocence applies until conclusions are reached.
  • Organiser Navigare and Palazzo Tarasconi did not comment, while the venue’s ticketing office said the exhibition remains open as the broader investigation into suspected forgeries continues.