Tullio Bartoli Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Tullio Bartoli was a boy with a passion for painting, as Felice Carena once said. As he grew up, he began to paint landscapes in a vaguely Macchiaioli style. Read the full biography

Tullio Bartoli was a boy with a passion for painting, as Felice Carena once said. As he grew up, he began to paint landscapes in a vaguely Macchiaioli style. A gallery owner friend of his appreciated his work and commissioned pieces from him, asking him not to sign them so that they could play with the customers and make them guess who the artist was and what period or school he belonged to. Bartoli was often challenged by his friend to create a painting of Rosai, in 1951 the artist received a large bill from a framer. He had the idea of ​​proposing a bet to his gallery owner friend; he painted a Rosai and if the owner had not recognized him, Bartoli would have paid off the debt he owed. He painted an "Ottonian" street scene on a panel, forged the signature and sent it via a boy to the framer. The work was successfully sold and from this experience Bartoli built a career, painting many Rose Bushes and other works of art. Then, after the introduction of the 1971 law on the protection of art, he began to create works of art by signing them only with his name. He is therefore considered one of the great forgers together with Pico Cellini.