RABAT, Morocco (AP) – Morocco plans to enact new laws and toughen penalties to combat art forgery in a bid to protect a multimillion-dollar art market that authorities believe will continue to grow. ing.
The North African country’s chief prosecutor on Monday began a series of meetings with the country’s Ministry of Culture and the National Museum Foundation, calling for better police enforcement, including harsher sentences and better regulation of auctions, counterfeit paintings, and more. and discussed methods and practices for the discovery of works of art. houses.
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“This issue is a real danger in this sector,” said Mehdi Ben Said, Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication. “Moroccan paintings are now being exported abroad and it is essential to clean up this business to combat counterfeiting.”
The Moroccan government has announced new initiatives to combat the growing crime of art forgery. (Photo by David Zorrakino/European Press via Getty Images)
Officials valued the country’s art market at about $2.5 million, noting that paintings in particular are gaining prestige throughout the Middle East, particularly in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
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Their efforts have put Morocco on a growing list of countries stepping up efforts to go after counterfeit goods, including the FBI’s Art Crimes Team, which in 2023 said it would do more to track down counterfeits such as works by painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. This includes the United States, which is playing an active role.
