Chasing down fake paintings in the Dominican Republic

[Alberto Ulloa] is an artist given to the grand gesture and bold stroke, and true to his credo of "love me, love my work," he is the fiercest defender of his name and oeuvre, found in collections and museums in both Europe and the Americas. Late last year, he became the first artist in the nation's history to demand and secure criminal convictions for two people who trafficked in crude fakes that were sold at very real prices.

The increasing popularity of Latin American art has also raised the profile of leading Dominican artists like Mr. Ulloa, Gillo Pérez and Ramón Oviedo. But their newfound success has also brought one unwelcome distinction: a growing underground industry of forged copies of paintings sold to would-be collectors and unsuspecting tourists.

Some of them have even been used to barter for furniture, wine and new cars. The fakes are part of a wider problem that includes counterfeits of everything from the usual knockoffs of sneakers and videotapes to more exotic appropriations like an amber-colored Chinese elixir that is hawked as Viagra.

The authorities, fearful of trade penalties by the United States, have begun to protect intellectual property more aggressively, bringing almost 600 cases under an ambitious law passed in 2000. Lawyers and art experts said a case involving Mr. Ulloa's paintings — the only one involving works of art — set a precedent they hoped would stem the flood of fakes.

Posted by David on April 20, 2003 8:36 AM