Fight and Prevent Forgery
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Forgery is the act of falsifying original documents, signatures and in our case art pieces. The act of falsifying these threatens the integrity of art galleries, law enforcements, and the artists creating the original art pieces. Forgeries can lead to a spread of misrepresentations of historical narratives and endangered cultural heritage. It is important to educate people on the types of forgeries that exist and how they can be identified and prevented.
One way to prevent forgeries is by utilizing technology in order to enhance security of art pieces. This includes the use of digital watermarks for works that are published online and biometric authentication, such as fingerprints or face ID. Such a method is something that is incorporated in the works of Andy Warhol and enables institutions to distinguish between forgeries and authentic pieces. Additionally, X-ray technology scanning the canvas can be used to detect whether a piece is a forgery or an authentic work of art, something that can be done with Mario’s Schifano’s paintings.
Maintaining a detailed record of all artworks created, with documents that inform about the material, technique, and provenance of the object, is also crucial when it comes to forgery prevention and should be employed for both modern and archaeological forgeries, as with the fake Corinthian oinochoe in this exhibit.
- M. Schifano, Abstract Landscape
Date: 21st century; Forgery of Mario Schifano (Italian [born Libya], Khoms 1934–1998 Rome)
Medium: Enamel on canvas
Dimensions: 100 x 100 cm (39.3 x 39.3 in.)
Credit Line: Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC)
This forgery depicts an abstract landscape that combines many forms and colors including blue lines and large splashes of red, beige, green, and yellow paint. These motifs are a recurring theme in Mario Schifano’s paintings. Schifano enjoyed incorporating pop culture into his art and using non-conventional materials and methods such as collages and gestural abstraction. The use of vivid colors and abstract details is typical of many of Schifano’s works. The relatively simple style of the artist rooted in recognizable imaginary that creates a sense of familiarity and repetition makes it easier to replicate his works. The forger attempted to imitate the style of the artist but the incorrect signature at the back contributes to reveal the lack of authenticity of this painting.
- M. Schifano, Dinosaurs
Date: 21st century; Forgery of Mario Schifano (Italian [born Libya], Khoms 1934–1998 Rome)
Medium: Enamel on canvas
Dimensions: 97 x 117 cm (38.1 x 46 in.)
Credit Line: Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC)
This forgery attempts to depict an abstract prehistoric landscape populated by dinosaurs, a subject that often recurs in Mario Schifano’s works. Schifano was interested in consumerism, technology, and the human condition. For this is why he incorporated many natural elements and prehistoric subjects, like the sun and the two dinosaurs seen here, in order to express his interests in the impact of technology on the human condition. Here, most of the canvas is painted in bright yellow, so the forger may have been inspired by Schifano’s “Monochrome” series of paintings, which often features dinosaurs on a nearly single-color surface painted with thick layers of enamel on paper applied to the entire canvas.
- Corinthian Oinochoe (pitcher)
Date: 21st century (forgery)
Medium: Pottery
Dimensions: H. 30.2 cm (11.8 in.); diameter 17.5 cm (6.8 in.)
Credit Line: Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC)
This is a forgery of an ancient Corinthian oinochoe (pitcher), produced in the style from the ancient Greek city state of Corinth. It is an attempt to recreate the original late Proto-Corinthian style from around 650-625 BCE. This vessel tries to replicate the original Corinthian pottery, including: the trefoil mouth, a singular handle, the off-white color, and the particular design painted on the pitcher. The frieze around the neck and body of the jug depicts real and fantastic animals as well as floral elements in both black and red glaze, including lions, panthers, swans, boars, and mythical figures like sirens. This iconography is meant to imitate the repetitive bands of animal decoration typical of Corinthian art, which was influenced by the art of the ancient Near East. The pitcher can be identified as a forgery based on the poor forced aging of the surface painting as well as lack of quality craftmanship of the vessel
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