Forensic art expertise in investigating art fraud

Forensic means of investigating the circumstances of a case involving objects of fine art are considered. Pre-criminal and criminal situations are distinguished. Illegal actions in the sphere of circulation of objects and works of art are investigated. Attention is focused on the crime provided for in Art. 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which may include objects and works of art. In this regard, the following concepts are analyzed: “misleading”, “deception”, “breach of trust”, “theft”. It is proven that conducting a comprehensive forensic art examination at the initial stage is necessary to establish the subject of the crime under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. General scientific methods are used — comparison, juxtaposition; analysis, synthesis, analogy; logical methods: deduction, induction; empirical method — review of criminal legislation; forensic methods — structural-functional; building versions; private expert methods: art criticism and handwriting examination. Scientific novelty lies in: 1) clarification of the subject of the crime, according to Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, related to objects of art; 2) in the classification of objects of criminal attacks in order to clarify the circumstances of the commission of crimes related to objects of art; 3) in optimizing the forensic recommendation for the appointment of a comprehensive forensic art history examination, necessary to establish the authorship, authenticity or counterfeitness of objects of art in the group of crimes related to objects of art.