The researchers analyzed images of paintings sold on eBay using AI and found almost 40 fakes. Among them — fakes «Monet» and «Renoir», which were used to try to steal from 150 to 600 thousand dollars
«At the beginning, we analyzed several images, and there were fakes everywhere. The probability is about 95%. I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg», — told the publication The Guardian specialist in artwork authentication, Dr. Karina Popovici.
Among the paintings that were recognized as fakes, one was advertised as the work of French artist Claude Monet «Forest with a Stream» and sold for $600 thousand, and the other as the work of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, worth $165 thousand.
«We do not permit the posting of counterfeits or unauthenticated copies», — indicated on the eBay website.
After the journalists The Guardian, contacted the seller of «Renoir», who lives in Florida, and the page with the painting was removed from the site. However, in a request for comment, the person wrote that «does not sell fakes of».
The seller «Monet», which did not respond to the journalists’ letter, owns an antiques page on eBay and is based in Millersburg, Ohio. The description of the painting reads:
«I fully warrant that the painting is an original 1867 oil on canvas, signed and dated by Claude Monet. The painting is not in perfect condition and I have no information about its provenance other than that I have owned it for over 20 years».
Popovici has repeatedly contacted eBay offices in the UK, Germany, and the US, but she is still waiting for a response.
«I have tried to talk to them and am very upset that they are not responding. They are responsible and cannot pretend that this problem does not exist».
Meanwhile, Ebay’s official commentary, quoted by the Guardian, says that the platform also uses AI to check paintings alongside human experts.
«We list paintings using multi-level verification technology with the help of AI, professionally trained people and buyer protection programs. In 2022, we blocked the publication of 88 million potential fakes in advance, and 1.3 million items were removed from the platform after being verified by eBay investigators».
Popovici is managed by Art Recognition — is a Swiss company that collaborates on research with the University of Liverpool and Tilburg University in the Netherlands. Its technology uses two types of artificial neural networks to analyze artists’ works in complex detail, from brushstroke patterns to color palettes.
Art Recognition has applied the tool to more than 500 paintings in various collections. For example, it identified Rubens’s «View of Het Wall in the Morning» in the National Gallery as original by 98.76%, while another painting by the Flemish master «Samson and Delilah» it identified as questionable, which confirmed the assumption of some critics about a copy.