the global art market are fakes one famous living former art forger is the german vols going back tucky he spent more than three decades creating new old masters causing losses to others of between twenty and fifty million euro's interpol says art theft is very big business. the value of work stolen is estimated at almost two billion euros a year. almost half the artworks on the market are sold in galleries thirty percent affairs and just two percent adoption. kristi's was the auction house with the highest sales last year at six billion euros. well into the nineteen eighties options of the major houses were a society of. people dressed up to attend. in the night to ninety's remote bidding became common with staff manning a pack of telephones. around two thousand online options emerged with creators manning their mouse at home. last october the art world symphony huge shock when a girl with balloon by the street artist banksy self destructed just as the final how much fell confirming the selling price of one point two million euros. thanks he had built a shredder into the frame. banksy