How do you reveal a fake in art? An exhibition by the Carabinieri's Cultural Heritage Protection Unit tells the tale.

In the year celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit (TPC), the exhibition In Defense of Beauty opened in Rome. Humanistic and Technological-Scientific Diagnostics for Unveiling the Fake in Art, scheduled from Nov. 22 to Dec. 18, 2019.

Set up in the Aula Magna of the School of Letters, Philosophy, and Languages, the exhibition focuses on the theme of counterfeiting, an ever-growing phenomenon, displaying 108 works seized by the Carabinieri and analyzed by professors and students of the “Laboratory of Fake” of theUniversity of Roma Tre, which curates the exhibition in collaboration with the Carabinieri Command.

Fake reproductions of paintings on panel, canvas, paper, embroidery and polymateric works of contemporary art, as well as sculptures inspired by the sacred and Japanese culture were made available to the exhibition in a path that is divided into 7 thematic sections: 1) A phenomenon to be countered at a wide range; 2) Authentic, fake, messy; 3) Beyond disciplinary boundaries: The gaze on the o- pera and within the work; 4) The difficulty of distinguishing between genuine and fake; 5) Simulating chronologies, materials, and techniques; 6) Cultural damage and economic damage of fakes in art: case studies; 7) The “worst” and the “best” among the fakes on display. A space used for 3-D projections of a selection of forgeries in the exhibition, curated by the “Giuseppe Caraci” Geocartographic Laboratory of the Department of Humanistic Studies at the University of Roma Tre, concludes the itinerary.

“An exhibition,” said Rector Luca Pietromarchi, “produced by the Laboratory of Fakes that enhances the activities of our master’s degree programs dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage, which are themselves models of dialogue between the humanities and applied sciences, as well as of collaboration between the university institution and the Carabinieri Corps.”

“Art,” stressed Brigadier General Roberto Riccardi, Commander of the Carabinieri for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, “has a value that transcends any economic estimate; it is the expression of human creativity, a luminous path that lights the path of History. To alter that value is to throw darkness on the light. Therefore, I believe that the ’Counterfeit Workshop’ is a valuable tool, a laudable and intelligent initiative that should be pursued with the utmost commitment.”

Set up until Dec. 18, the exhibition, with free admission, opens at the following hours: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

For all information you can email studiumanistici@uniroma3.it.

How do you reveal a fake in art? An exhibition by the Carabinieri's Cultural Heritage Protection Unit tells the tale.

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.