Experts Claim Fifty Percent of Artwork on the Market is Fake
- October 14, 2014 12:05
Scientists at the Fine Arts Experts Institute (FAEI) in Geneva say that 70 to 90 percent of the artwork that they analyze is fake. More than half of artworks circulating on the market are either forgeries or misattributed contend some authorities, reports the AFP.
Using the latest methods such as radiocarbon dating and infrared reflectography, the FAEI experts are scrutinizing artwork for clients in a market rife with fakes. Forgery scandals worldwide have revealed a surprisingly huge infiltration of forged works accepted in the marketplace; notably, faux examples by Jackson Pollock, Marc Chagall, Paul Gauguin, German Expressionists, and others have made headlines after their "newness" was exposed by scientific analysis.
Forgers are getting more sophisticated in their techniques, prompting increased business for outfits like FAEI, which is located in the Geneva Freeports, the customs-free zone where the super-rich have parked more than one million treasures. The science behind authentication has improved, too, with more ways to pinpoint age and uncover the materials used.
