Fakes, Forgeries and Mysteries

by Courtney Hilden

Spoiler Alert!: Yes, even an art exhibit can have spoilers. This review reveals some of the real identities of the art featured in this exhibit.

The Detroit Institute of Arts is currently running an exhibit called "Fakes, Forgeries and Mysteries," on art forgeries of various kinds.

There is something very daring about this exhibit: most of the art featured is from the DIA itself, and they admit in this exhibit that they have not always gotten authorship of their art right, and that sometimes other scholars or museums have caught errors in their work. It is hard to imagine other art institutes proudly displaying their mistakes and discussing how these mistakes happen.

Of course, the exhibit also discusses how these mistakes get corrected, spending some time on the kind of analysis they do. The exhibit features videos featuring scientists who analyze art using things like thermoluminesce, tree rings, and paint makeup.

One of the strong things about this exhibit is that they invite patrons to see a "fake" in comparison with "the genuine article." There's something very fun about this, putting yourself in the shoes of the art expert. The exhibit adds notes to help you pick things out, but otherwise, the exhibit lets you trust your eyes.

The exhibit also discusses the art market and how to tell if something is a fake. It discusses how when a particular kind of art floods the market, this is a sign someone is making forgeries. They discuss the ways sellers of forgeries try to fool buyers, using the work of lesser known artists and making fake paperwork. It discusses the beauty of fakes, that, despite the lack of value, can be beautiful in their own way. Some of the forgeries are impressively good. Finally, the exhibit even brings up the issue of art that has been "disowned" by their artists. "Tennessee Stud," the last piece of the exhibit, illustrates this issue. The artist had made a larger piece and sent it to be cut. One of the pieces cut from it (that were not meant to be displayed) was later sold as a genuine piece of his work. So, in addition for displaying the clear fakes, the exhibit talks about pieces that were taking without permission of the artist, works "in the style of" and the art of students in workshops as the gray areas of fakes.

The last two rooms of the exhibit has the best art of the exhibit. "Tewkesberry Road" was sold to the DIA as a Degas, but later researched revealed it was by a lesser-known English artist. "Head of a King," an Egyptian fake, is the most flawless forgery, and it is hard not to admire the work that went into this piece. The exhibit also features a painting that might be the work of Van Gogh, that has not been officially listed as by him, but in comparison with another Van Gogh, it is compelling evidence.

This is one of the more original exhibits out there, with lots of interesting information and fun interactive videos and displays. It is well worth going to.