Jouni Ranta sold fake art for decades and made millions: “No one interfered” – 2024-08-07 13:48:04

Jouni Ranta, 74, is the man behind the biggest art crime in Finnish history. Ranta sold a huge amount of fake art from the 80s. According to his own estimate, he sold almost a thousand fake works. They were sold under the names of Finland’s most famous artists, such as Akseli Gallen-Kallela and Eero Järnefelt. Ranta made millions with his crimes.

In the district court of Helsinki, the art forgery was characterized as significant even on a European scale.

Ranta has been in prison twice for crimes he committed in the 2000s. He was released from his last prison trip a few years ago, and now tells in his own words how fake art moved around Finland and what made it possible.

Jouni Ranta sold fake art in Finland for decades. Miia Sirén

From a card fraudster to an art dealer

Ranta started as an art dealer initially by chance, when he ended up selling the paintings of his friend who was short of money. The sale was profitable and Ranta stayed on that path. He fell in love with the work and read biographies of artists at night.

The board shop was also, according to Ranta, cleaner than his previous career as a card fraudster. People who lost their money in card games could start shooting and brandishing knives.

Ranta had started playing cards after getting tired of his job in cost accounting and wanting excitement in his life. You also made more money playing than in your previous job.

In the end, according to Ranna, playing started to become too dangerous, and he could no longer go to the places where his face was known.

After getting excited about selling paintings, Ranta started selling paintings in his two art galleries in Turku and Helsinki.

Then he met the picture maker Veli Seppää, and his life changed.

The sale of fakes began

The blacksmith called Ranna and said that he knew that he was selling paintings. Proud Ranta said that he runs a successful board shop.

– Brother Seppä must have been looking for a fool from a blackboard dealer who didn’t know anything, Ranta says.

According to his story, Ranta started selling Sepä’s paintings without knowing that they were fakes. The trade was successful for the second year.

Then the truth dawned on Ranna.

One day Veli Seppä asked her to his home, although before they had always met in the yard. At home Seppä painted a big bird. He revealed to Ranna that he makes the paintings himself.

– I had one board in my hand, and it seemed to fall out of my hand, says Ranta.

Ranta says that he would not have started selling paintings the first day if he had known right away that they were fake.

However, after the truth was revealed, a choice had to be made – whether to continue selling or to stay on the road. Hooked on profits, Ranta decided to continue selling.

However, he did not put the fakes on the gallery wall, but sold them secretly. According to him, there were 3-4 merchants on the beach who sold boards, and he didn’t have to go around selling to people himself.

Ranta also failed to tell his wife about the sale of fake paintings.

– It must have known, though, because at the time when Veli Seppä gave me a fresh board that read 1890, I had to take it to the sauna to dry, Ranta says.

Wide life

The deal went through and Ranna’s business was successful. Conscience didn’t weigh much when the money was flowing.

– And it was nicer to sell Järnefelt than some thousand-mark sunset made in Thailand, Ranta smiles.

According to his own words, Ranta lived “too wide a life”. When we went to relax, we always drank with Ranta’s money. The man says that if he could do something differently, he would live so that he would still be a millionaire.

– When I got money, I didn’t know how to handle it. It confused my head, Ranta describes.

No one intervened

Ranta criticizes Finnish art expertise as weak, which is why the sale of fake paintings was successful.

Ranta says that And Hereto whom he supplied paintings for sale, probably sold them everywhere, including museums.

– If you took the board to Ateneum, they said that this is good, says Ranta.

According to Ranna, auctions also sold huge amounts of fake paintings on.

Ranta says that the police probably also knew about the sale of fakes, and sometimes asked about Ranta’s paintings: “Are these from Veli Sepa?”.

– It was public information, no one interfered with it, Ranta states.

In the end, however, the criminal network was revealed, people were imprisoned and boards were found.

However, researching board stores was a complicated and long job.

Ranta says that a police officer told him that he would rather investigate murders than billboards.

The family’s reaction

Ranta says that he immersed himself in his work most of the time because he loved it.

– I was too busy at work. I forgot my family, and I tried to replace it with money, when I should have hugged, Ranta describes.

Ranta also tells how his children react to his life story.

– Well, the girl doesn’t really like it, but the boy has adopted this job of mine a little too well, Ranta says.

Ranta states that he would do it all again, but more discreetly, and would hide the money better.

– And I wouldn’t sell fake boards, but real boards, he adds.

Ranta says that he believes that nowadays the control of the boards is much better than before.

Prison life

Jouni Ranta was released from prison three years ago. According to him, the last prison trip in Suomenlinna lasted half a year.

Jouni describes sitting in Suomenlinna prison as “a nice vacation trip”.

– We played sports, took saunas and raked goose shit, we got five euros an hour, says Ranta.

During his previous prison trip at the Seutula labor camp, Ranta was reportedly picked up in the morning by taxi to Nuuksi to fry sausages.

Ranta admits that time, however, gilds memories.

– It probably didn’t feel so great at the time when I was there, because there is freedom away from people, says Ranta.

The truth out

Ranta says that he decided to write books about his story when Veli Seppä was caught. Before that, he didn’t want to reveal the story because he would have had to write about Sepä. The first book was published in 2017.

– I wanted to tell you how bad the expertise in Finland has been for these. It has made this possible because experts don’t know, museums don’t know, the whole of Finland sold these, says Ranta.

Brother Seppä made about 10,000 fake boards, which were sold on. Ranta was just one of the sellers. However, he is the only one left alive.

Ranta says that he mainly had a business relationship with Veli Sepä.

– But I did visit him when he first got cancer. That’s how touching it was, says Ranta.

Brother Seppä passed away in 2022.

Jouni Ranta states that life is now boring in retirement.

– I’m like that, there should always be something to do, says Ranta.

Elisa Viihti’s documentary series about Ranta’s story will be published on Ruudu on August 5 Insane Vilppi.