A prestigious exhibition of famous art fakes and forgeries will be presented by the Bolton Museum.
The exhibition, called Fakes and Forgeries, was originally put on by the Metropolitan Police’s Art and Antiques squad at the Victoria and Albert Museum in January this year, and includes the forgery of the Amarna Princess.
Bolton will be the first town outside London to host this prestigious exhibition, which focuses on the work of several prominent forgers, the techniques that they used and how they were able to convince museums and antiques experts of the authenticity of their forgeries.
The exhibition also explains some of the techniques which the police use when detecting fake artworks and tracking down their creators.
The collection will be open to the public next year from April 16, 2011. A special preview evening on April 15 will include a talk from a member of the Metropolitan Police Art and Antiques Squad, followed by a first viewing of the exhibition.
Councillor Elaine Sherrington, Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Adult Services, said: “We are delighted that Bolton has been chosen as the first venue outside London to host this prestigious exhibition.
“We have always been interested in the Amarna returning to Bolton, as we recognise that it is of great interest to the public. However, we do not wish to condone criminal activity, so it was important that the statue was displayed sensitively.
“This exhibition educates the public about forgers, explains the techniques they used and also how they were caught by the authorities and rather than glamorising crime, will hopefully show that even the most artful of forgers is eventually brought to justice.”
www.boltonmuseums.org.uk