BBC2’s The Great Art Fraud Reveals £86 Million Scam

“Every so often, factual television uncovers a story that takes your breath away,” wrote Jasper Rees in The Daily Telegraph. BBC2’s The Great Art Fraud is precisely that kind of documentary. This compelling two-part series tells the story of Inigo Philbrick, a “class-A grifter” who conned art collectors out of millions, ultimately being convicted of wire fraud and sentenced to seven years in a US prison.

A London-born prodigy of the art world, Philbrick began his career as an intern at Jay Jopling’s White Cube gallery. By the age of 24, he was running his own gallery with Jopling’s backing. Handsome and charismatic, he brokered deals worth millions while living the jet-set lifestyle of his ultra-wealthy clients. But when a critical sale went awry, his finances began to unravel, noted Ben Dowell in The Times. Facing mounting pressure, Philbrick turned to fraud, exploiting the loosely regulated art market by selling multiple shares in artworks that did not exist.

The documentary skilfully lays out Philbrick’s “corrupt deals,” according to Rebecca Nicholson in the Financial Times, and chronicles how his £86 million scam came tumbling down. An arrest warrant forced him and his girlfriend, now wife, Made in Chelsea socialite Victoria Baker-Harber, into hiding.

Dalya Alberge in The Guardian calls it an extraordinary story, partly told through Philbrick himself. Released from prison last year, he expresses regret rather than remorse, claiming he does not know what happened to the stolen money. He also says he hopes to return to dealing in art.