Ilya and Emilia Kabakov have spoken out in Russia after learning of fakes of their works for sale, reports Bloomberg.

On September 15, the duo opened their first exhibition in Moscow since emigrating from the Soviet Union. Several days later, seven fake works were offered to a Moscow collector, Emilia said. The seller had given the works a fake provenance, saying they had been confiscated at the Soviet border in the 1980s.

On October 4, London dealer Yelena Walker approached the Kabakovs to authenticate a painting offered to a Russian client. Emilia responded that it, too, was fake. Walker said she had been suspicious of the work because it was painted on canvas, not on board, as per Ilya Kabakov's usual practices. "Also," she said, "I felt it had too many images and details. Kabakov tries to get rid of images and replace them with words. He is like an accountant — precise and scrupulous."

Ilya Kabakov became the most expensive postwar Russian artist last year when his 1982 painting Beetle sold for $5 million at auction. Forgeries of contemporary art is a growing problem in Russia, but the Kabakovs are determined to fight against it. "We can account for every painting Ilya ever made," said Emilia. "We just finished a complete catalog of Kabakov paintings with the Wiesbaden Museum and we know where every single painting was, or is."

She said also that the pair has a "fake file" to track inauthentic works and will post photos and information about forgeries on the Web site. If the problem worsens, she said, the couple will turn to international authorities.