Originally published at: Spotting art forgeries isn't easy | Boing Boing
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The video touches on the motivation behind determining whether something is fake or not, and from what I’ve seen on programs like Art Detectives or Fake or Fortune, it seems the driving force is to make the determination so that they can be included in the artist’s official catalogue. There are organizations that control a lot of this, so making your case is incredibly difficult. If successful, it can be very rewarding in the manner of increased value or even having some value to begin with.
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Ever bought a fake picture, Toby?
I sold a couple once.
The more you pay for it, the less inclined you are to doubt its authenticity.
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This is a good primer for a career in forgery
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Highly recommended.
(I mean, not just for the tips on forgery. He also details the pigments and techniques of the old masters, because it’s not going to work trying to forge a Titian if you don’t use Venetian Red, or if you paint lean over fat like an apprentice on his first day. He also gives tips on how to use modern pigments to best effect — Cadmium yellow is much safer than orpiment, but kind of wasn’t invented at the time, but you can get away with it if you “damage” the painting where a touch of orpiment would have turned a dun brown cloth into a golden silk, then “repair” it with your Cd Yellow. Which also tells you how to paint a golden silk drapery. Also because he was a brilliant author with an interesting life to recount in between tips.)
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Depends on who the forger is
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One of the issues of course, is whether or not the verifying body feels that it’s in their interests to authenticate a piece. I recall at least 2 cases on Fake or Fortune where the piece was either very likely to be, or undoubtedly was, authentic, but was deemed not. In the second instance, if I recall, it was a Monet that was given or sold to the owner’s ancestor by Monet himself; the family visited him at his studio, and they had documentation. Or some similar scenario; in any case, they could prove unbroken provenance. And the verifying body rejected it.
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I got some of my early art history education from playing this board game. Kind of lost interest when I realized that technically they were all forgeries.
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Some people collect forgeries.
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Oh yes. Folks who profit from inherited class and wealth determining who gets to join the club, often simply due to a whim. 
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