A course to prevent counterfeiting and illicit trafficking in works of art

Rosa Marquez of the Order

In times of crisis, many investors take refuge in the art market. Sectors such as numismatics or antique jewelry, where precious metals are used, grow and even increase in price compared to good times. However, the crimes of counterfeiting and illicit trafficking in artistic pieces have also increased and have given rise to organized crime that requires specialists to combat it. The Rey Juan Carlos University has brought together experts from around the world to address this complex problem in the summer course 'The Art Market and Collectible Goods: Another Agent in the Fight Against Illicit Traffic and Counterfeits'. "First-rate speakers have come, such as the world chief of Interpol, top representatives of the National Police and the Civil Guard or members of the Ministry of Culture," explains Ana Vico, coordinator of the course and director of the university master's degree in Market Management of the URJC art.

Among the issues that have been discussed is the protection of cultural heritage, to avoid looting such as those that Spain has suffered throughout its history. Currently, says Vico, the danger is in countries like Ukraine or Syria, vulnerable due to the war, in the latter the sale of archaeological pieces has also been used to finance terrorist groups. “What has been most insisted on during the course is the traceability of the works, that we can go back to the history of the piece, meet the previous collectors to verify that it has a legal origin and the collaboration of all the agents that we form part of the art market to immediately publicize stolen or forged works”.

Crypto art

New technologies and digital creation have also been incorporated into the world of art. This is the case of the famous NFT (Non Fungible Tokens), which ensure the authorship of the artist so that the work can be copied and distributed, but the original always remains in the hands of the collector who has the digital certificate. “They are products aimed at a very innovative public that are actually tailored to the market, so the offer is growing, unlike that of antiques, which is decreasing because you cannot ask a Roman to make more works. In the art market there are always trends and bubbles and this is one of them”.

The course, which has been taught at the Casa de la Moneda, has been attended by a very varied audience made up of museum directors, heads of the Ministry of Culture and students from the arts and culture environment.