Course on fakes and forgeries

Art: Fakes, Forgeries and Authenticity
UCLA
Summer Sessions 2012.

This exciting new course is designed to introduce the subject of
fakes and authenticity in art across a wide spectrum of different
cultural and artistic settings, from ancient Egypt to Modern Western
Art, from African sculpture to Renaissance Paintings, from Roman
marbles to Colombian gold.  Several videos relating to art
investigations and fakes will be shown during the course of the
lectures. Some of the work of the great fakers of the past and the
present will be presented including Oxan Aslanian, Frederico Joni,
Jef van der Veken, Hans van Meegeren, and Eric Hebborn to name some
of the most prominent.  The complex issue of authenticity in art in
relation to forgeries is discussed with many examples of different
contexts in which the authentic is subject to a series of debates.
The connoisseurship of the art historian is illustrated with several
accounts of investigations and the basis of the scientific
examination of works of art and the techniques utilised for the
dating and investigation of art works is discussed with several
examples, especially of Renaissance paintings.  The relationship
between looted art, faked art, and the collecting culture of museums
is explored.

Course Objectives: Students following this course will learn about
art connoisseurship and scientific connoisseurship in the study of
works of art.  Students will follow these arguments with the aid of
examples in class and will be required to visit museum collections
during the course to evaluate the craquelure on selected Renaissance
panel paintings.  Students will learn the means of applying certain
types of connoisseurship to the examination of works of art,
primarily painted works, sculpture, antiquities and African art.
Students will learn about the different conceptions of authenticity
and how this affects the notions of forgery, fakes, copies,
replicas, and pastiche works of art.  Students will learn of the
history of notable art fakers and how methods for the detection of
fakes may be applied to their work; the scientific tools which are
available to the art expert and the conservator; the limitations of
expertise; the problems created by unprovenanced art and the issues
of looted art, which often compound the problems of authenticity.

4 Unit course.
Taught by Professor David A. Scott <dascott<-at->ucla<.>edu>, Department
of Art History, Founding Director 2003-2011, UCLA/Getty IDP in
Archaeological and Ethnographic Conservation.  Dr. Scott is the
author of over 100 peer reviewed publications and five books.

Summer Session Section C
August 6 - September 14, 2012
12 Lectures, I final examination.
Fowler Room A139.
Tuesday and Thursday each week  9.45am - 11.50am

For signing up for a place on this course, please see UCLA, Art
History, Summer Sessions.  A confusing array of courses are offered
by UCLA in the Summer.  If having trouble, send an e-mail to the
instructor, Dr. David Scott.


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