arts | March 06, 2026

Wolfgang Beltracchi - Net Worth, Age, Height, Birthday, Bio, Wiki!

Explore Wolfgang Beltracchi net worth, age, height, bio, birthday, wiki, and salary! To prove the authenticity of the fake art works, Beltracchi and his associates made up stories about their parents who they claimed to have been collectors of art in the 1920s. They named them they claimed to have the Sammlung Knops and Sammlung Werner Jagers. Collection Knops Sammlung Knops (Knops Collection) was allegedly the property of the master tailor Johann Wilhelm Knops from Krefeld the grandfather of Otto Schulte-Kellinghaus; Sammlung Werner Jagers (Werner Jagers Collection) was allegedly the property of Werner Jagers, Helene Beltracchi’s grandfather. In this article, we will discover how old is Wolfgang Beltracchi? Who is Wolfgang Beltracchi dating now & how much money does Wolfgang Beltracchi have?

NameWolfgang Beltracchi
First NameWolfgang
Last NameBeltracchi
OccupationArt Forger
BirthdayFebruary 4
Birth Year1951
Place of BirthHöxter
Home TownNorth Rhine-Westphalia
Birth CountryGermany
Birth SignAquarius
Full/Birth Name
FatherNot Available
MotherNot Available
SiblingsNot Available
SpouseHelene Beltracchi
Children(s)Franziska Beltracchi, Manuel Beltracchi

Wolfgang Beltracchi Biography

Wolfgang Beltracchi is one of the most popular and richest Art Forger who was born on February 4, 1951 in Höxter, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. in the 80s Beltracchi was the owner of an art gallery during a brief time along with a business associate. The two fell out, with the business partner making a claim that Beltracchi of stealing art from his home and stealing his artwork, a claim Beltracchi insists on denying.

Fischer met Helene Beltracchi in 1992 and, after marrying in 1993, adopted her surname. Since his release from prison, Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi have been living and working as artists on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.

Research by Die Zeit revealed that two versions of the painting exist. The painting offered in Dubai had actually been sold by Sotheby’s in 1993. The painting sold by Sotheby’s in 1994 is different and its whereabouts are unknown.

1978: Grosse Kunstausstellung. Haus der Kunst, Munchen / Deutschland

Wolfgang Beltracchi (born Wolfgang Fischer on February 4, 1951) is a German artist and art forger who admitted to creating hundreds of fake paintings in an international art fraud, which netted hundreds of millions of dollars. Beltracchi along with his wife Helene made fakes of works of famous artists, such as Max Ernst, Heinrich Campendonk, Fernand Leger and Kees van Dongen. Even though he was convicted of forging 14 works art, which sold at a total of $45m (PS28.6m) Beltracchi claimed to have faked “about 50” artists. The estimated total earnings Beltracchi earned from his counterfeits is more than $100 million.

In 1987 Loretto Molzahn, widow of Johannes Molzahn, paid a Berlin dealer DM60,000 for a portrait her husband had painted in 1930 of Oskar Schlemmer. The dealer had acquired the painting from Wolfgang Fischer. The painting proved to be fake and the Berlin dealer was given a suspended sentence in 1998.

Wolfgang Beltracchi Net Worth

Wolfgang is one of the richest Art Forger from Germany. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Wolfgang Beltracchi's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: January 13, 2024)

Wolfgang Fischer was born 4 February 1951 in Hoxter, Germany and grew up in Geilenkirchen, Germany. The father of Wolfgang Fischer was an artist restaurateur and muralist.

Net Worth$5 Million
SalaryUnder Review
Source of IncomeArt Forger
CarsNot Available
HouseLiving in own house.

In November 2006, Beltracchi and associates sold Rotes Bild mit Pferden (Red Picture with Horses), supposedly a 1914 painting by Heinrich Campendonk, to Trasteco, a Maltese company, for €2.88 million through Lempertz [de] auctioneers in Cologne. “Rotes Bild mit Pferden” was found to be fake by Artvera’s gallery, based in Switzerland. In 2008, a scientific analysis showed the painting contained titanium white, which was not yet available in 1914. Experts identified old gallery labels on the back of the painting as fake. The painting is now listed as a forgery from the Sammlung Jägers and is one of the fourteen paintings Beltracchi admitted to forging.

In early 2006, Otto Schulte-Kellinghaus tried, unsuccessfully, to sell this painting via Parisian art dealers. Together with a forged André Derain painting, it was taken to Kunstmuseum Ahlen [de] in July 2009 where it was shown to prospective customers, including Christie’s, which rejected it. Provenance of the painting was the fictional Sammlung Jägers. A deal was being negotiated to sell the painting for €5.8 million to an unknown buyer, when it was seized in the museum by police 25 August 2010. It is one of the fourteen paintings Beltracchi admitted to forging.

Ethnicity, religion & political views

Many peoples want to know what is Wolfgang Beltracchi ethnicity, nationality, Ancestry & Race? Let's check it out! As per public resource, IMDb & Wikipedia, Wolfgang Beltracchi's ethnicity is Not Known. We will update Wolfgang Beltracchi's religion & political views in this article. Please check the article again after few days.

In 2004, Beltracchi and his associates sold La Forêt (2), a fake 1927 Max Ernst oil painting, to a dealer for €1.8 million after Werner Spies had appraised it and had issued a certificate of authenticity. Galerie Cazeau-Béraudière lent it to the Max Ernst Museum [de] for a 2006 exhibition and subsequently sold it to collector Daniel Filipacchi for $7 million. The painting is now listed as a forgery from the Sammlung Jägers and is one of the five Max Ernst paintings Beltracchi admitted to forging during the 2011 trial.

Who is Wolfgang Beltracchi Dating?

According to our records, Wolfgang Beltracchi married to Helene Beltracchi . As of January 13, 2024, Wolfgang Beltracchi’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record: We have no records of past relationships for Wolfgang Beltracchi. You may help us to build the dating records for Wolfgang Beltracchi!

Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi were arrested 27 August 2010 in Freiburg. Their accomplice Otto Schulte-Kellinghaus , who helped place several of the forgeries in the market, was arrested 1 December 2010.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Wolfgang Beltracchi height Not available right now. Wolfgang weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

HeightUnknown
WeightNot Known
Body MeasurementsUnder Review
Eye ColorNot Available
Hair ColorNot Available
Feet/Shoe SizeNot Available

In July 2004 Steve Martin paid Paris gallery Cazeau-Béraudière €700,000 for Landschaft mit Pferden (Landscape with horses), supposedly painted by Heinrich Campendonk in 1915. In February 2006 Martin sold the painting through Christie’s to a Swiss businesswoman for €500,000. The painting is now listed as a forgery from the Sammlung Jägers and is one of the fourteen paintings Beltracchi admitted to forging.

On 27 October 2011, Beltracchi was sentenced to six years in jail. His wife Helene was sentenced to four years, and Otto Schulte-Kellinghaus, to five years. Helene’s sister Jeanette was given a 21-month suspended sentence.

Top Facts about Wolfgang Beltracchi

  1. Beltracchi forged over 300 paintings, worth $45 million.
  2. He fooled experts for decades with his skillful reproductions.
  3. His forgeries included works by Picasso, Matisse, and Klee.
  4. Beltracchi was sentenced to six years in prison in 2011.
  5. He later became a legitimate artist after serving his sentence.
  6. His art has been exhibited in galleries around the world.
  7. Beltracchi’s style is influenced by Expressionism and Surrealism.
  8. He often uses bright colors and bold brushstrokes in his work.
  9. Beltracchi’s paintings have sold for up to $500,000 each.
  10. He remains a controversial figure in the art world today.

Facts & Trivia

Wolfgang Ranked on the list of most popular Art Forger. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Germany. Wolfgang Beltracchi celebrates birthday on February 4 of every year.

During the trial in autumn 2011, Beltracchi admitted forging 14 paintings: three by Heinrich Campendonk; two by André Derain; one by Kees van Dongen; five by Max Ernst; one by Fernand Léger; and two by Max Pechstein.

Where is Wolfgang Beltracchi now?

Since his release from prison, Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi have been living and working as artists on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.

How did Wolfgang beltracchi get caught?

Beltracchi believed he would never get caught. Still, when he put his guard down for just a moment, and used a more contemporary titanium white paint without analyzing it (the tube did not state there was titanium inside), he got busted. The painting that gave him away is the fake Heinrich Campendonk.

What did Wolfgang beltracchi do?

Wolfgang Beltracchi, is considered one of the most audacious forgers of recent decades. In 2011, he was found guilty by a German court of forgery and corruption relating to 14 fakes that had sold for a total of $45m, sending shockwaves through the art world.

How many paintings did Wolfgang beltracchi Forge?

Beltracchi admitted to forging about 300 paintings by more than 50 artists over the course of 35 years.

How common is art forgery?

Experts and institutions may also be reluctant to admit their own fallibility. Art historian Thomas Hoving estimates that various types of forged art comprise up to 40% of the art market, though others find this estimate to be absurdly high.

You may read full biography about Wolfgang Beltracchi from Wikipedia.