How Experts Find Forged Paintings
The insane prices of the art market make art counterfeiting a potentially highly profitable business. So how can buyers tell the difference between real, undiscovered works of art and fakes? In order to analyze and identify forgeries, experts must apply their knowledge of art history, as well as the knowledge underlying the artists’ materials and methods. In the video above, forensic scientist Thiago Pivovarchik and art historian Jeffrey Taylor show Wired how they spotted Jackson Pollock’s drawings (which are notoriously difficult to fake) were forged.
Signs of counterfeiting can take many forms. Signs of fake pollock include:
- Errors of fact in the accompanying document
- Signs of a painting technique that does not match Pollock’s style
- Stitched canvas, a rarity at the time.
- Chemicals indicating that the canvas is “aging”.
This is just a sample of the errors that permeate this careless forgery. Watch the video to see what else Pivovarchik and Taylor caught when they analyzed the painting.
(via Kottke )