The trial of Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi is the biggest art forgery case in decades, and the accused scammers are not letting down anyone's expectations when it comes to colorful courtroom theater. In a plea bargain with prosecutors in Cologne that will reduce his sentence to six years, Wolfgang, the master forger, has admitted his guilt with relish, taking the opportunity to reveal his artistic exploits and tell stories of his youthful drug use.

As ARTINFO previously reported, the Beltracchis forged and sold approximately 47 works by artists including Max Ernst, Max Pechstein, and Heinrich Campendonk in a scheme that swindled an estimated $20 million from gullible collectors, including actor and art collector Steve Martin. The couple lived a lavish lifestyle, purchasing and renovating houses in Freiburg, Germay, and in the south of France. But, according to Wolfgang's testimony, "money alone didn't really interest me," Die Welt reports. Instead, it was "really fun" to forge paintings, he said, having painted his own original works when he was younger. Plus, he had an axe to grind. "I didn't especially like the art market and art dealers," he said, even though he followed that world closely. "You have to know how the art market works. Where is the greatest greed?"

Beltracchi recounted how his father, an art restorer, showed him how to copy works by Rembrandt and other Old Masters. In court, he said that he made all the forgeries alone and boasted of his artistic skill. "In my thoughts, I created an original work, an unpainted painting by the artists of the past," Beltracchi testified, according to Die Welt. "I painted works that really should have been in the artist's oeuvre." He added that he wanted to make his forgeries "even a little better" than original works by Ernst or Pechstein, and that the results were sometimes "too good."

The 60-year-old Beltracchi told his life story at great length, including his drug use, testifying that until 1985 he "smoked pot intensively" and experimented with LSD now and then, according to the Augsburger Allgemeine. The judge asked if he also tried psychedelic mushrooms. "Maybe once, in an omelet," said Beltracchi.

His wife Helene struck a plea bargain as well, and is expected to receive a four-year sentence. Otto Schulte-Kellinghaus and Jeannette Spurzem, Helene's sister, are also on trial as accomplices.