Cultural Status of Art Forgeries

This article explores the cultural status and significance of forgeries in the world of art, as well as tracing an evolution of the changes in their perception. Forgeries are generally thought to be culturally perverse, falsifying our experience and understanding of art. However, this very devaluation of forgeries presupposes notions of authenticity and originality which, upon examination, turn out to be arbitrary or inconsistent. Thus, the value of forgeries is twofold: firstly, they highlight and help criticise the presuppositions behind our cultural and aesthetic practices and attitudes; and secondly, they can also be valuable as works in their own right. Forgeries cannot be left out from the study of art history, as they have contributed in the shaping of art historical study as it is today.