Why was Han van Meegeren arrested after World War II?

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Following World War II, Han van Meegeren was arrested in 1945 on the serious charge of collaborating with the Nazis.1

This arrest occurred after an Allied art commission discovered a previously unknown painting, Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery, attributed to Johannes Vermeer, within a collection amassed by Hermann Göring. When authorities traced the work back to van Meegeren, he faced accusations of selling Dutch cultural treasures to the enemy.1

To avoid the severe consequences of a collaboration conviction, van Meegeren confessed that the painting—along with several others he had sold—was actually a forgery he had created himself. He had originally intended to reveal his authorship only after critics had acclaimed the works, as he felt his own talents as a painter had been unfairly overlooked. To prove his claim, he successfully painted another "Vermeer" while under the observation of authorities.1