New York — A little more than a year ago, New York City art dealer Robert Rogal received a visit to his gallery from a young woman, who seemed eager to unload a family heirloom.
She introduced herself as Karolina Bankowska, and held up a framed painting signed by her Andrew Wyethresembles watercolor landscapes completed by the famous artist at the beginning of his career. Rogal accepted the piece for his curiosity, thinking it might fetch $20,000 to $30,000 at auction.
“The source was a little vague,” he said. “But it seemed credible. It wasn’t obviously fake.”
In fact, Rogal now believes the painting is a fake, one of at least 200 carefully crafted fakes that federal prosecutors say Pankowska, 26, and her father, Erwin Pankowski, 50, tried to pass off to unwitting buyers.
On Tuesday, the duo pleaded guilty to defrauding their victims — including some of New York City’s most prominent fine art auction houses — out of at least $2 million.
The counterfeits, which were forged in Poland by an unnamed conspirator, were mostly copies of lesser-known works by prominent and prolific artists, e.g. Banksy Andy Warhol, prosecutors said. The most profitable fake, purportedly by artist Richard Mayhew, was sold by the DuMouchelles auction house last October for $160,000.
A representative for the DuMouchelles said they had cooperated with federal authorities but were not authorized to discuss the sale further. Several other auction houses targeted in the scheme, including Bonhams, Phillips, Freeman’s and Antique Arena, either declined or did not respond to inquiries.
The father and daughter — Polish citizens living in New Jersey — face charges of wire fraud conspiracy and defacing Native American-produced goods, charges stemming from their imitation of Louisino artist, Fritz Scholder.
They face the possibility of more than three years in prison under federal guidelines, as well as $1.9 million in restitution and possible deportation to Poland.
In court on Tuesday, Pankowska told the judge that “her behavior was wrong and I am guilty.” Her attorney, Todd Spodek, said his client placed more than $1 million in an escrow account.
Through a Polish translator, Erwin Pankowski also apologized. His attorney, Jeffrey Shabro, added that his client “unfortunately made a terrible decision in an attempt to support his family.”
With news of the fakes reverberating throughout the art world, experts have described the scheme as a classic of the genre — and one that is far more widespread than some in the industry would like to admit.
“The only thing that is unusual about this case is that the counterfeiters were caught,” said Erin Thompson, a professor of art crime at the City University of New York.
“People think the art world is an elegant place full of cultured people who just want to share the beauty of beautiful art,” she added. “You have to assume there are a lot of fakes out there.”
Prosecutors said the father and daughter began commissioning a Polish artist in 2020 to create the fake artwork. Using antique paper, they also forged stamps to attach to the paintings, adopting the names of since-closed galleries where a particular artist might reasonably have exhibited his work.
It wasn’t long before sales began to come under scrutiny. In March 2023, representatives of the artist Raymonds Stebrans discovered a forged painting titled “Triptych Boats” for sale at an auction house. A few days after representatives contacted the auction house, the painting was sold to a buyer for $60,000, prosecutors said.
Thompson, the art crime professor, noted other violations as well. For example, the gallery stamp on the back of Wyeth’s fake car listed the year 1976, but included the area title number that was phased out in 1962.
Perhaps coincidentally, the fake stamp bore Mr. Knoedler’s name and address & The Knoedler Company, one of New York’s oldest and most respected trade galleries, closed its doors in 2011 amid… Allegations of profiting from counterfeiting plates By Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and others.
Ultimately, Rogal said he never listed Wyeth’s car, in part because the stamp on the back was “too clean.” When he called Pankowska and asked her to pick it up, she never responded.
On Tuesday, in a Queens warehouse filled with consigned art, Rogal re-examined the painting under the light.
“You’re trying to provide a service and do it right,” he said. “Could we be fooled? Sure.”