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The Coloured Truth – Art Crime in Finland

What is art crime and how is it investigated? How are forged artworks sold and who buys counterfeit art?

A work of art being investigated with a magnifying glass.

Photo the Police Museum, Jarkko Järvinen

The exhibition titled “The Coloured Truth – Art Crime in Finland” presented the key incidents of art crime committed in Finland and the related investigations conducted by the police.

The visitors had an opportunity to see counterfeit copies of work by artists such as Gallen-Kallela, Schjerfbeck, Picasso and Léger. All works were part of the Police Museum's collections. Originally, they were confiscated in connection with a pre-trial investigation and handed over to the state as instruments of crime.

A view of the Museum’s exhibition on art crime. The picture shows, among other things, a tall picture frame reaching from the floor to the ceiling, and dozens of counterfeit pictures on the walls and on the stand.

Photo the Police Museum, Pia Penttilä

The exhibition of art crime was not an art exhibition, but a portrayal of art crime and its history, as well as the investigations carried out by the police in cooperation with art experts. At the same time, the visitors were able to learn about the tricks of fraudsters in art trade and how to distinguish counterfeit artwork from an original.

The “Coloured Truth – Art Crime in Finland” exhibition was on display from the spring of 2021 to the end of 2023.

Watch videos about the exhibition on our YouTube channel (in Finnish and Swedish)

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Take a virtual tour of the exhibition

Take a virtual tour of the “Coloured Truth – Art Crime in Finland” exhibition on your own computer or smartphone. The virtual tour opens in the Digimuseo online service.

“The Coloured Truth – Art Crime in Finland” exhibition in the Digimuseo online service