Steve Martin named as art scandal victim

American comic Steve Martin has been named as a potential victim in what is being described as Germany's largest ever art forgery scandal.

In 2004, Martin purchased what he presumed was a 1915 Heinrich Campendonk painting called 'Landscape with Horses' for an estimated $850,000 (£517,000).

However, when he resold the painting 15 months later it only managed to sell for $600,000 (£365,000).

Investigators are now claiming that Martin's Campendonk painting may be linked to a group of forgery artists arrested in Germany last year.

The four men arrested as part of the scandal have been accused of selling a large number of expertly forged paintings to several galleries, including the one from which Martin purchased his Campendonk.

A Campendonk expert is reported to have verified the authenticity of 'Landscape with Horses' before selling it to Martin.

Martin's career spans comedy, film and music, and he even published a novel set in the art world last year called An Object of Beauty.

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