An Italian art historian says he helped identify and verify more than 2,000 fake Banksy works seized as part of an investigation into a vast European art fraud operation. The shipment of counterfeit works was revealed earlier this week in a joint operation between the Pisa prosecutor’s office, the Carabinieri cultural heritage protection unit (a branch of Italy’s national police) and the European agency Eurojust.

Stefano Antonelli, founder of the Banksy Study Center and Archive Foundation, says most of the confiscated Banksy works were branded “Dismaland”, the dystopian theme park the famous street artist opened in Weston-super-Mare, UK, in 2015.

Antonelli was brought in by prosecutors in the Tuscan city of Pisa, who indicted 38 people accused of producing more than 2,100 fake works by artists including Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Salvador Dalí, Henry Moore, Joan Miró and Giorgio de Chirico. “They were charged with conspiracy to create and deal with contemporary art,” says a Eurojust spokesman. Many of the confiscated works are on display at Palazzo Toscanelli in Pisa (until November 15).

The investigation was triggered last year by the seizure in Pisa of 200 forged works, including a copy of Caryatid by Amedeo Modigliani. This led to the discovery of counterfeit workshops in Italian cities such as Lucca and Pistoia and other European bases.

At a press conference on November 11, Teresa Angela Camelio, the prosecutor in Pisa, said that “the discovery of the chain of forgers allowed us to confirm the existence of a dense European network (of forgeries) created between Spain, France and Belgium”.

In a statement posted onlineEurojust confirmed it was part of the international operation, saying: “Once the fake artworks were produced, the network would work with several complicit auction houses in Italy to sell the pieces. To ensure the credibility of the auctions, exhibitions were organized throughout Italy and a catalog of the art was published.”

Eurojust adds: “As the investigation uncovered a European network of forgeries, cross-border judicial cooperation was initiated at Eurojust. Eurojust ensured that three European investigation warrants were issued against six suspects in Spain, France and Belgium. The raids led to the discovery of forgery workshops and the seizure of 1,000 fake works of art and over 500 forged certificates and stamps of authenticity.”

Stefano Antonelli explains his role further. “I confirm that I have helped verify over 2,000 fake Banksy works with the Pisa prosecutor. The investigation is ongoing; technically, it’s my job to write a report on each piece explaining, through documentation, why they’re fake. (This evidence) will be used in court by the prosecutor,” he says Art newspaper.

Asked to explain the mission of the Banksy Archives and Studies Center, Antonelli says that “it is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to make the Banksy Archive documentary fund available to the public – to archive, catalog, study, promote. and protects the work of the artist Banksy. Not connected or endorsed in any way by Banksy”.

The foundation does not authenticate Banksy’s works, Antonelli points out. “The only authority responsible for issuing certificates of authenticity for a Banksy work is the British company Pest Control office ltd.” Pest Control has been contacted for comment.