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Video duration: 5 min
Works of art: the African art market victim of scams
Works of art: the African art market victim of scams
(France 2)
Several buyers of African art have recently turned to the police, believing they have been deceived by sellers. While strolling through a Parisian neighborhood well known to collectors, it only took France Télévisions journalists a few minutes to be approached by a seller.
In the heart of Paris, Rue des Beaux Arts is a district well known to collectors and art lovers. Here, the galleries follow one another and, behind the windows, the ancient art objects from Africa attract the eye. Journalists from France Télévisions took a walk in the neighborhood. After spending a few minutes in front of the storefronts, they were approached by a man who offered to buy African works of art. Several sellers like him were in charge in the area that day. Gallerists know them well.
Justice has taken up the subject
Recently, several buyers have turned to the police, believing they have been deceived by these sellers. For Colonel Hubert Percie du Sert, head of the central office for combating trafficking in cultural goods, the scam is well organized. Justice has taken up the subject. In February 2024, 11 defendants were summoned before the Bobigny court (Seine-Saint-Denis), as part of a vast fraud in the African art world. The estimated damage is more than one million euros.
