– Everything indicates that there has been a sustained heavy criminal intent in their undertaking. We believe he has deliberately gone in to deceive people, says police attorney Andreas Meeg-Bentzen in the Oslo police district to news. Now the art dispute ends up in court. In August 2020, plainclothes police raided the gallery at Frogner and seized over 200 works of art. The paintings they were looking for were signed Werner Jensen, Knut Olesen and Erik Krohn. After more than two years of investigation, the public prosecutor in Oslo has now brought charges against Hedemark. – He is accused of a number of things. Attempts at several gross frauds, several simple frauds and embezzlement, says Meeg-Bentzen. FRAUD: – We believe he has deliberately set out to deceive people, says police attorney Andreas Meeg-Bentzen. Photo: Truls Alnes Antonsen / news Revealed The mysterious artist Werner Jensen was revealed by news in April last year. Then Hedemark admitted for the first time that he was the artist behind the pseudonym – an alleged Berlin-based artist with an apparently long and impressive CV. See the full interview with Hedemark at the bottom of the issue. Hedemark told news that he had painted under the pseudonym for 20 years, but that the aim was never to deceive anyone. At the same time, he has admitted that parts of the CVs were made up, but that this was later corrected. – The CV has been an important tool when it comes to these frauds, says police attorney Meeg-Bentzen to news. SHIPPED AWAY: This is what it looked like when the police emptied the gallery at Frogner of art in August 2020. Photo: Truls Alnes Antonsen / news In the same interview with news, Hedemark admitted that he had also painted under the names Knut Olesen and Erik Krohn. He reacts to the fact that the police have now chosen to prosecute him. – The police have completely ignored my claim that I used pseudonyms, even though I have explained it to them in detail. I have used three names because I have had three different styles, says Hedemark to news. He has always denied criminal guilt in the case. – We disagree with what is presented about pseudonyms. We will come back to this during the main hearing in the Oslo district court, says police lawyer Meeg-Bentzen. WERNER JENSEN: Hedemark says he has used three different pseudonyms. The police believe he has tried to deceive customers. Photo: Truls Alnes Antonsen / news Fraud The police in Oslo went out last year and asked customers who had bought art from Hedemark to get in touch. Due to the extensive art seizure in the case, the police feared that many customers had been duped. Hedemark is now charged with 12 cases of simple fraud related to the sale of art from the three pseudonyms he has used. In total, the customers must have paid 272,000 for the images. RAZZIA: In August 2020, the police campaigned against the gallery where the Werner Jensen pictures were exhibited. Photo: Truls Alnes Antonsen / news According to the indictment, the sales must have taken place from autumn 2016 to December 2020. Most of the paintings mentioned in the indictment were signed Werner Jensen. According to the indictment, the prices have varied from NOK 5,500 to NOK 35,000, and in several cases customers paid with other works of art in addition to cash. A Persian carpet is also said to have been used as part payment. Hedemark claims his pictures were sold to experienced art buyers, and that no one contacted him or complained about the pictures before the police asked them to get in touch. – I see that words such as “reputable” are used in the indictment. Those are words I have never put in my mouth. All customers who have shopped with me have bought because they liked the art and what they saw, he says. He also believes that the value of his works of art has been zeroed out in the indictment, in that, according to the police, the customers have suffered a loss equivalent to what they paid. – Pictures that were bought for e.g. NOK 20,000 is now, according to them, worth zero NOK. It falls on its own unreasonableness, he believes. Hedemark says he has sold a number of new photos after the investigation into his business became known to the public. Images on smooth cell Hedemark is also charged with attempted gross fraud after he exhibited and offered customers at least 91 images of Werner Jensen, Erik Krohn and Knut Olesen in the gallery and online. He wonders about the prosecution’s point. SEIZURE: Over 200 photos were seized by the police. Many are still in police custody. Photo: the police – That the fact that I have had my own photos in my own possession and in my own gallery is an attempt at gross fraud, that is quite interesting, he says. These works of art have been seized and locked in a smooth cell since the police operation in August 2020. The police stated last year that the pictures should be destroyed, but this was later refuted. Charges have also been issued for the following matters: breach of the Art Tax Act for keeping a car hidden from creditors breach of the Weapons Act, after the police found a pepper spray at his home six cases of embezzlement According to the indictment, the embezzlement must have occurred between December 2018 and June 2021, and is linked to commission sales from other artists who were exhibited in the gallery. Hedemark himself says that these indictments have come in the wake of the police investigation. The gallery was declared bankrupt due to unpaid claims from the Swedish Tax Agency. He believes the police have spent far too long on the investigation and says his business suffered. – The shop was sealed, you have nothing to sell and nowhere to sell it from. All of the documents and papers were confiscated by the police and then it becomes difficult, he says about the charge of embezzlement. BANKRUPTCY: Galleriet til Hedemark is now bankrupt. He believes much of that is due to the fact that the police investigation made it impossible for him to sell art. Photo: Truls Antonsen / news – We note that it has taken a very long time before the public prosecutor’s office has brought charges in the case, says his defender, Henrik Boehlke, to news. Police prosecutor Andreas Meeg-Bentzen says he has no comment on the use of time in the case. Ready for trial Hedemark describes the time since the police action in August 2020 as difficult, but says he is “ready and motivated” for a trial in the Oslo district court. He says he has continued to paint and is looking forward to finishing the case. – I think I have my say, then it is up to the court to judge. When all this is over, I will organize an amazing exhibition, so we will see if it will be at Ila prison or at the gallery, he says.
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The mysterious artist “Werner Jensen” indicted for fraud – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
