Friend or Faux?: Art Forgeries and Their Effect on the Art Market.

摘要

When people hear the word forgery, they may think of crime and drama, they may imagine deceit and elaborate schemes, or they may simply feel uncomfortable and anxious. The fact is no collector or expert in the art world wants to be tricked by a counterfeit artwork. Recently though, forgeries have grown to be more prevalent in the art world, forcing art experts to reconsider the basic principles of this crime. The art forger is an intelligent person, who researches not only the artist and the artworks to copy but also the target clients for his works. However, very frequently forgers work in a general style of art, rather than one specific artist: a tactic which makes detection much more difficult. Scientists try to combat the forger's scheme with modern day tests and analysis, but these are not always productive. Eventually every major art forgery scandal is published in the headlines, reaching not only art collectors but also art world experts, forcing them to question what action to take next. Studies surrounding forgeries thus far have described tactics of the forgers or the reactions of the experts, but few studies have analyzed the effect which these objects are having on the art market. This paper examines the effects that forgeries and their creators have had on the market, continue to have on the art market, and the ways in which they are influencing art history.