Counterfeit artwork

The counterfeit artwork is an artistic piece but also a scam. The Modigliani heads from 1984 are the most recent memory. Some young people reproduced stone heads and slid them down a watercourse in Livorno

ITALY. They announced the discovery and art critics attributed these artifacts to Modigliani. It was a sensational discovery! The artist must have discarded these marvelous sculptures as if getting rid of something that should never have been found. The art world was amazed and appreciated the find.

But it was just a prank, nothing more. Those young people wanted to challenge the expertise of the specialists, put them to the test, and demonstrate the fragility of their knowledge. There have been other examples in the history of art. It is said that Michelangelo, when he was young, sculpted statues that he made appear as archaeological finds dating back to Greco-Roman antiquity. Another example concerns the famous Adagio by Albinoni, which Albinoni did not compose but which a later musician wanted to attribute to him.

The value of a forgery lies in the charm of the object and in the cunning and skill of the true author who hides behind a more famous name. What drives the forger to commit this deception? What do they want to prove? Some are driven by greed, others by humility. Still others by the pleasure of deceiving the feared critics, ready to recognize as a work of art any signed object without questioning the fact that it is not the signature that should give artistic value to the work.

What appears is not always art, even if signed. Even in the psychological and psychopathological field, we find forgeries. And in ordinary life, sometimes if not almost always, we give more value to the appearance than to the substance. We become credible but are not worthy of the trust placed in us. Others believe what they intuit and not what they see. We exploit the lack of criticism and judgment from others to gain an advantage.

And this advantage lies in confusing others with the great magic of appearance. We are good if we can pretend well. Credibility clouds true trust, and in the end, we cannot listen to or see reality. Those who bring us back to this and give us the good advice that allows us to change course and truly feel well are not listened to or followed. The false author becomes as important as the true author. Educating in criticism is the task of good teachers. Helping to use reason makes us aware, even if sometimes it does not make us happy.