Hi Ted,
I’ve had some philosophical discussions about the “problem” of forgeries.
It’s my opinion that if most (all?) museum personnel can’t tell if something is a forgery, it is as good as the original. If you enjoy the piece aesthetically, then what’s the difference? The original artist probably didn’t get much for it in his lifetime, anyway and if you pay for it what you can afford, you are getting value.
Who’s the loser in this? The person who bought a work for a lot of money as an investment, hoping to sell it for more later. That, of course, is just gambling, and is what stock traders do all the time. I don’t feel sorry for those art traders who might get stung on occasion.
The stuff on your wall and in your safe should give you pleasure, independently of its sales price. I have photographs on my wall that I took and they give me pleasure, but no one would give me a dime for any of them.
Interesting points. I can’t disagree yet still feel forgeries are wrong. Maybe because art museums are partly art and partly history. What i do know is that every time I read about forgery detection I learn more about artistic processes.
Ted Macaluso - Author 
Hi Ted,
I’ve had some philosophical discussions about the “problem” of forgeries.
It’s my opinion that if most (all?) museum personnel can’t tell if something is a forgery, it is as good as the original. If you enjoy the piece aesthetically, then what’s the difference? The original artist probably didn’t get much for it in his lifetime, anyway and if you pay for it what you can afford, you are getting value.
Who’s the loser in this? The person who bought a work for a lot of money as an investment, hoping to sell it for more later. That, of course, is just gambling, and is what stock traders do all the time. I don’t feel sorry for those art traders who might get stung on occasion.
The stuff on your wall and in your safe should give you pleasure, independently of its sales price. I have photographs on my wall that I took and they give me pleasure, but no one would give me a dime for any of them.
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Interesting points. I can’t disagree yet still feel forgeries are wrong. Maybe because art museums are partly art and partly history. What i do know is that every time I read about forgery detection I learn more about artistic processes.
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