Erwin Bankowski and his daughter, Karolina Bankowska, have been sentenced for a forgery ring that sold more than 200 fake paintings in New York. The Polish pair earned at least $2 million between 2020 and 2025 by deceiving galleries and collectors.

The $160,000 Richard Mayhew fake and the $2 milion haul

The scale of the operation led by Erwin Bankowski and Karolina Bankowska was vast, involving the distribution of over 200 counterfeit pieces. according to the report, the duo targeted a wide array of iconic styles, including works attributed to Pablo Picasso, Banksy, and Andy Warhol . The financial impact was significant, with the pair generating at least $2 million in total revenue from their deceptive sales.

While many pieces were sold for smaller sums, some transactions reached staggering heights. The highest single sale recorded in the scheme involved a counterfeit painting attributed to Richard Mayhew, which fetched $160,000. This disparity in pricing shows how the forgers tailored their approach to target both mid-level collectors and high-net-worth buyers.

Digital certificates and pegboard backings used to fool RoGallery

The Bankowski operation relied on a combination of high-quality artistic skill and deceptive physical details. As reported, the forgeries were produced by a hired painter in Poland who could mimic the aesthetic hallmarks of various masters. To sell these works, Karolina Bankowska used design software to create fake certificates of authenticity, which were then printed on antique-style paper to simulate age and provenance.

Physical details were also used to manipulate experts.. Robert Rogal, the owner of RoGallery in Long Island City, was deceived by a fake Richard Anuszkiewicz piece that featured a pegboard backing. Because Anuszkiewicz actually used pegboard in the 1960s, this specific material served as a powerful visual cue of legitimacy that bypassed Rogal's 40 years of professional experience.

How Bonham's, Phillips, and Freeman's were targeted

The reach of the forgery scheme extended beyond small galleries to some of the most prestigious names in the art world. The report says that prominent auction houses, including Bonham's, Phillips, and Freeman's, were targeted by the duo. by exploiting the historically sparse documentation for certain mid-20th-century artists, the forgers were able to insert their counterfeits into the market with minimal resistance.

This ability to penetrate high-level institutions highlights a systemic vulnerability. The art market often relies on a mix of intuition and trusted intermediaries, which the Bankowskis exploited by providing convincing narratives and high-quality reproductions that appeared genuine to seasoned professionals.

The Knoedler gallery stamp that exposed Karolina Bankowska

The unraveling of the scheme began with a suspicious detail on a purported Andrew Wyeth painting presented to Robert Rogal. rogal noticed that a stamp of authenticity from the now-defunct Knoedler gallery looked far too pristine for its supposed age. This discrepancy prompted a deeper investigation that eventually exposed the work as a fake, though Karolina Bankowska never reclaimed the piece after the doubts were raised.

Despite the sentencing, several critical details remain unverified. The identity of the skilled Polish painter who actually executed the 200+ works has not been publicly disclosed. Furthermore, it remains unclear how many of the counterfeit pieces sold between 2020 and 2025 are still hanging in private collections, unaware of their true origin.

Modern printing technology and the vulnerability of Warhol reproductions

The Bankowski case is part of a broader trend where technological advancements are making art forgery nearly impossible to detect through visual inspection alone. Art dealer Richard Polsky noted that modern printing technology allows for reproductions of Andy Warhol's work that are almost indistinguishable from the originals.

This shift places the art world in a precarious position. When the physical object can be perfectly replicated and the provenance documents can be digitally fabricated on aged paper, the traditional reliance on "connoisseurship" becomes a liability. The case of Erwin and Karolina Bankowski serves as a stark reminder that without rigorous forensic verification, the market reamins open to sophisticated fraud.