34. Conning Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering
Van Meegeren moved back to the Netherlands at the start of WWII, but the war caught up with him when Germany overran and occupied the country in 1940. Nazi occupation did little to cramp van Meegeren’s style, and he continued producing forgeries and passing them off as originals. In 1942, one of his forgeries, Christ With the Adulteress, by “Vermeer”, was sold to a Nazi art dealer, who in turn sold it to Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering for the equivalent of $7 million today.
Christ With the Adulteress became Goering’s pride and joy, and he prominently showcased it in his mansion. After the war, the Allies discovered Goering’s art collection – looted from all across Europe – stashed in an Austrian mine. Included was Christ With The Adulteress, along with receipts and documentation linking it to van Meegeren. Selling such a rare piece of Dutch cultural heritage to Hitler’s number two was clear evidence of collaboration with the Nazi occupiers. Collaborators being in especially bad odor soon after liberation from the Nazis, the recently reinstated Dutch authorities went gunning for van Meegeren.
Read too: These 10 Pieces of Art Stolen by the Nazis that are Still Missing Today.