Edgar Mrugalla

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Edgar Mrugalla (born July 11, 1938 in Berlin ; † September 22, 2016 in Düsseldorf ) was a German painter and art forger .

Life

Edgar Mrugalla received only a short education and attended elementary school until 1952. He then worked in more than 30 professions such as auxiliary boat builder, little boy, stoker, prize boxer and as a coal, oil and newspaper driver. From 1957 he lived in West Berlin , where he earned money trading various goods. In 1966 he married. At that time he was working as a tipper and heating oil driver.

In 1968 Mrugalla founded a clearing company and opened a junk shop. Due to a lack of expertise, he sometimes sold paintings below their value. As a result, he began to teach himself about painting and the restoration of oil paintings . In 1971 Mrugalla joined the “Association of Visual Artists” (BBK) in Berlin and made the first copies. He sold these cheaply to dealers who made high profits with the help of expertise .

In 1974 Mrugalla found 24 colored chalk drawings by Otto Mueller during a clearing out , which he offered for sale. However, the large number of art dealers became suspicious and reported Mrugalla. After a house search, the drawings were confiscated and Mrugalla was accused of forgery. After a process that lasted over eight years, he was acquitted, but his reputation as a restorer, antique dealer and artist was damaged.

In 1980 Mrugalla moved to Nordhastedt in a rural area. There he copied around 3000 different works. The forgeries brought dubious art dealers and criminals, but also renowned gallery owners into circulation. In 1987 Mrugalla was arrested after the large number of copies of Picasso's works attracted attention; the counterfeits made were confiscated and destroyed. Mrugalla was sentenced to two years in prison with a three-year suspended sentence. Exhibitions of his works followed throughout Europe.

In 1990 Edgar Mrugalla opened a gallery in Büsum , where he legally exhibited and sold his own works and marked forgeries. He also gave painting lessons. In 1993 Mrugalla published his memoirs under the title King of Art Forgers .

In 1997, Mrugalla fell ill with Parkinson's disease . In 2006 his wife died. Thereupon he withdrew from the public. Mrugalla has lived in Düsseldorf since 2008 . He had three children.

The Mrugalla case is featured in the documentary Great Masters - Leichte Beute ?, first broadcast in 2009 by the broadcasters Arte and 3sat treated.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Authentication in Art List of Unmasked Forgers. Retrieved January 8, 2018 .
  2. ↑ a b Edgar Mrugalla: The king of art forgers is dead. In: Spiegel Online . October 18, 2016, accessed October 21, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Mrugalla, Edgar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German painter and art forger
DATE OF BIRTH July 11, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH 22nd September 2016
Place of death Dusseldorf