Danny Jones Podcast #346 - The $450 Million Da Vinci Conspiracy & CIA Psyops Behind Modern Art | Giampiero Ambrosi
32 snips
Nov 3, 2025 Giampiero Ambrosi, a writer and documentarian focused on art crime and forgery, dives into the world of art deception. He discusses the thrilling intricacies of art forgery, including how notorious forger Tony Tetro operated. Ambrosi uncovers the links between art and laundering, and how the CIA purportedly promoted abstract art during the Cold War. He also sheds light on the exploitation of child influencers in modern media, exposing the dark side behind seemingly innocent content creation. This conversation is a riveting exploration of art, fraud, and authenticity in today's world.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
How The Investigation Began
- Giampiero met Tony Tetro after investigating fake art in Japan and Tony gifted him boxes of materials.
- That long relationship became the foundation for Giampiero's investigations and films about forgery.
Forgery Relies On Backstory
- Forgers often create original works in the style of masters and invent plausible backstories instead of copying exact originals.
- The backstory and provenance are as important as technical execution for passing authentication.
Contracts Revealed The Scheme
- Giampiero and Tony discovered giant loan contracts showing multimillion-dollar works allegedly lent to Dumfries House.
- The documents contained glaring provenance errors that suggested a scheme, not curatorial review.
