Deception by Design:
Lessons from Forgeries
Deception by Design:
Lessons from Forgeries
“While errors of the past they provide lessons for the future” *
Art forgery is the creation of artworks falsely credited to a specific artist or culture with the intent to deceive. Sometimes labeled as “inspired imitations,” “replicas,” or “fakes,” these works of art, intentionally produced for deception and placed on the art market, demonstrate the act of forgery.
This exhibition brings together 16 forged works of ancient and modern art created during the 21st century and seized by the Italian Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (‘TPC’ – Carabinieri Command for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage). While most of these seized forgeries face destruction to avoid their illicit recycle in the art market, some are saved for educational purposes. From forged Greek pottery to 20th-century paintings, the exhibition explores the cultural, economic, technical, and ethical implications of forgeries for the art-selling industry. The production of fakes adapts to the demands of collecting, thus reflecting changes in taste and ideas. By examining forgeries that span time and space, Deception by Design invites us to reflect critically upon the historical, aesthetic, and ethical lessons provided by an analysis of fakes for a better understanding and preservation of the authentic cultural heritage.
*(Jones, M. 1990. “Introduction. Why Fakes?” in Mark Jones [ed.], Fake? The Art of Deception. London: The Trustee of the British Museum, 16).