The hidden history of art-world forgeries is revealed in this exhibition of fakes from the collection of the Courtauld Gallery in London (17 June–8 October). Art and Artifice reveals the stories behind their making and the discovery of these deceptions. Highlights include one of the many forged drawings in the style of Pieter Bruegel the Elder that began appearing shortly after his death in 1569, and a pseudo-Botticelli Virgin and Child – exposed in part by the Virgin’s uncanny resemblance to a 1930s film star – alongside works by infamous forgers such as Han van Meegeren, who went on trial for selling fake Vermeers to the Nazis. Find out more on the Courtauld’s website.
Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary
Figures seated by a rock (dates unknown), in the manner of Francisco de Goya. Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Virgin and Child (c. 1920), in the manner of Sandro Botticelli, Umberto Giunti. Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Seascape (dates unknown), in the manner of John Constable. Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Dish with a portrait of Marco Barbarigo (c. 1850–58). The Courtauld Institute of Art, London