Sign-In
Cart
The Big Fake: Story of Italy's Master Forger Who Deceived the Art World and Became Entangled in Political Conspiracy
Paperback
Film StudiesFilm Guides & ReferenceTrue Crime
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Feb 9 2026
Pages: 106
Weight: 0.34
Height: 0.22 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
When a painter's brush became a weapon, and lies changed history.
Rome, 1976. Three young men arrive from the mountains with dreams of making something of themselves in Italy's eternal city. One would serve God. One would serve revolution. One would serve crime-and his gift would deceive nations.
Antonio Toni Chichiarelli possessed an extraordinary talent: he could forge anything. Renaissance masterpieces. Government documents. Terrorist communications. His hands created lies so convincing that art experts, police investigators, and an entire country believed them without question.
But this is not just a story about fake paintings hanging in galleries across Europe.
This is the true account of how one forger became entangled in Italy's darkest conspiracy-the kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978. When Toni created a false communiqué announcing Moro's death, he briefly convinced millions that Italy had lost its most important statesman. The document was a masterpiece of deception. It was also evidence of something far more sinister: connections between organized crime, intelligence agencies, and political terrorism that reached the highest levels of power.
The Big Fake takes you inside the workshop where history was rewritten with paintbrushes and typewriters. You'll witness the meticulous techniques Toni used to age canvases, forge signatures, and create documents that fooled forensic experts. You'll follow his descent from struggling artist to master criminal as the Banda della Magliana-Rome's most powerful criminal organization-pulled him deeper into their operations.
From art galleries in Milan to the vault of Italy's biggest robbery, from terrorist safe houses to intelligence service conspiracies, this is a story that spans the breadth of Italy's Years of Lead-a period when political violence, organized crime, and state secrets collided with devastating consequences.
The heist that made him millions. The forgery that manipulated a nation. The secrets that got him killed.
On September 28, 1984, Toni Chichiarelli was assassinated outside his apartment at age thirty-six. The crime remains officially unsolved. The thirty-five billion lire he stole was never recovered. His forgeries still hang in collections, their true origins unknown. And the questions he took to his grave continue haunting Italian history.
This is more than true crime. It's a journey into the psychology of deception, the intersection of art and fraud, and the price one man paid when his extraordinary gifts were weaponized by forces beyond his control. It's about talent corrupted by circumstance, ambition destroyed by compromise, and truth buried beneath layers of lies so convincing they became indistinguishable from reality.
Drawing from court documents, forensic evidence, investigative reports, and decades of research into one of Italy's most mysterious figures, The Big Fake reveals the untold story of the forger who fooled the world-and paid the ultimate price for knowing too much.
Some lies are too perfect to detect. Some secrets are too dangerous to keep. Some truths are stranger than any fiction.
Discover the masterpiece of deception that shaped a nation's darkest chapter.
Also in
Film Studies
Visions of Japanese Modernity: Articulations of Cinema, Nation, and Spectatorship, 1895-1925
Gerow, Aaron
Paperback
Dreaming of Cinema: Spectatorship, Surrealism, and the Age of Digital Media
Lowenstein, Adam
Paperback
Ancient Rome at the Cinema: Story and Spectacle in Hollywood and Rome
Theodorakopoulos, Elena
Paperback
What Have They Built You to Do?: The Manchurian Candidate and Cold War America
Jacobson, Matthew Frye
Gonzalez, Gaspar
Paperback
The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Life Murder Mystery from the Birth of the Movies
Paul Fischer
Paperback
Anime from Akira to Princess Mononoke: Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation
Napier, S.
Paperback
The Last Kings of Hollywood: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg--And the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema
Fischer, Paul
Hardcover
Scream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968-1980)
Johnson, Eleanor
Hardcover
Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum
Fortenberry, Nelle
Fox, Michael J.
Hardcover
Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Underground Classic of Hollywood's Darkest and Best Kept Secrets
Anger, Kenneth
Paperback
Partially Devoured: How Night of the Living Dead Saved My Life and Changed the World
Kraus, Daniel
Hardcover
Star Wars Dad Jokes Strike Back: The Best Worst Jokes and Puns from a Galaxy Far, Far Away. . . .
Knox, Kelly
Hardcover
Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror
Cullins, Ashley
Paperback
The World of Black Film: A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films with a Foreword by John Akomfrah
Clark, Ashley
Hardcover
The Magic of Minalima: Celebrating the Graphic Design Studio Behind the Harry Potter & Fantastic Beasts Films
Minalima
Denton, Nell
Hardcover
Disney: Winnie the Pooh: The Hundred-Acre Wood Cookbook: Family-Friendly Recipes Featuring Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, and Most o
Tarpy, Liz
Asmus, James
Jao, Vivian
Hardcover
Laika: The Magic Behind a Stop-Motion Dream Factory: Two Decades of Groundbreaking Animation from Coraline to Wildwood
Inguanzo, Ozzy
Hardcover
Studio Ghibli Origami: Unofficial Papercraft Projects to Create Totoro, Ponyo, Jiji, and More!
Editions, Insight
Paperback
Lucas Wars: The True Story of George Lucas and the Creation of Star Wars
Roche, Renaud
Hopman, Laurent
Hardcover
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Official Cookbook: Recipes from the Four Nations
Dorsey, Jenny
Hardcover
Black Film: A History of Black Representation and Participation in the Movies
Walker, David F.
Hardcover
Disney Dreams Collection Thomas Kinkade Studios Disney Princess Coloring Book
Kinkade, Thomas
Paperback
House of Psychotic Women: Expanded Edition: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films
Janisse, Kier-La
Paperback
Godzilla: The First 70 Years: The Official Illustrated History of the Japanese Productions
Godziszewski, Ed
Ryfle, Steve
Hardcover
Star Wars Dad Jokes: The Best Worst Jokes and Puns from a Galaxy Far, Far Away . . . .
Knox, Kelly
Hardcover
Godzilla: The Encyclopedia: Shinji Nishikawa Unravels the Depths of Godzilla
Nishikawa Shinji
Paperback
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride
Layden, Joe
Elwes, Cary
Paperback
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation: Station Wagon and Griswold Family Tree: With Sound!
Running Press
Paperback
Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film - Updated Edition
Clover, Carol J.
Paperback
Making Mary Poppins: The Sherman Brothers, Walt Disney, and the Creation of a Classic Film
Pierce, Todd James
Hardcover
Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
Crouse, Megan
Brooks, Dan
Richau, Amy
Hardcover
Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of It's a Wonderful Life, America's Most Beloved Holiday Film
Theisen, Lauren
St James, Emily
Hardcover
Studio Ghibli Bento Cookbook: Unofficial Recipes Inspired by Spirited Away, Ponyo, and More!
Azuki
Rossi, Barbara
Hardcover
Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Bestiary: A Definitive Guide to the Creatures of the Goblin King's Realm
Bende, S. T.
Hardcover
Star Wars Vader's Little Princess: (Star Wars Kids Book, Star Wars Children's Book, Geek Dad Books)
Brown, Jeffrey
Hardcover
Nightmare Before Christmas: The Tiny Book of Jack Skellington
Vitale, Brooke
Insight Editions
Hardcover
They Kill People: Bonnie and Clyde, a Hollywood Revolution, and America's Obsession with Guns and Outlaws
Ellis, Kirk
Hardcover
Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook: Pacific Recipes Inspired by Motunui
Fiso, Monique
Monteith, Katie
Hardcover
Dog's Day: The True Story of a Bank Robbery, Gay Liberation, and Toxic Love That Inspired a Hollywood Classic
Prigge, Matthew J.
Hardcover
Roddy McDowall: An Actor's Life -- From How Green Was My Valley to Lassie to Planet of the Apes
Garza Bernstein, Samuel
Hardcover
Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever
Singer, Matt
Hardcover
Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship and Film Scores That Changed Cinema
Smith, Steven C.
Hardcover
Harry Potter: Make Your Own Chocolate Frogs: Silicone Chocolate Mold and Gift Box Set
Insight Editions
Paperback
I Love K-Pop Coloring and Activity Book: For Fans of Kpop Demon Hunters, Bts, Blackpink, Katseye, and K-Pop Idols
Reel Ink Press
Paperback
Star Wars: The Official Crochet Pattern Book: Crochet Your Way Through the Galaxy
Parker, Leah
Insight Editions
Hardcover
Guillermo del Toro: Cabinet of Curiosities [Reissue]: My Notebooks, Collections, and Other Obsessions
del Toro, Guillermo
Hardcover
Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious, the Blockbusters That Supercharged the World
Hertz, Barry
Hardcover
Rewinding the '80s: Cinema Under the Influence of Music Videos, Action Stars, and a Cold War
Malahy, John
Paperback
The Unofficial Kpop Demon Hunters Handbook: A Fan Guide & Activity Book That Slays
Gabbara, Princess
Paperback
Star Wars: The Mini Book of Lightsabers: (Lightsaber Collection, Lightsaber Guide, Gifts for Star Wars Fans)
Insight Editions
Hardcover
Brain Games - Horror Movies Word Search Puzzles: Do You Dare to Solve These 84 Puzzles?
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
F1 the Movie: The Making of the Most Authentic Racing Film of All Time
Salisbury, Mark
Medland, Chris
Hardcover
The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Cookbook: 50+ Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Japanese Animated Films
Yun, Jessica
Hardcover
Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir (Revised and Expanded Edition)
Muller, Eddie
Hardcover
Ready for My Close-Up: The Making of Sunset Boulevard and the Dark Side of the Hollywood Dream
Lubin, David M.
Hardcover
DreamWorks Dragons: Recipes from the Isle of Berk [Official Cookbook]: A Book of Feasts, Drinks, Desserts . . . and Dragons
Burnham, Erik
Danielsen, Daytona
Hardcover