Facts about fakes

Press, 20 May 1987, Page 22

Facts about fakes

Canterbury Museum’s next major exhibition will be a New Zealand first, according to the museum’s assistant director, Mr Anthony Savill. “Our ‘Fakes, Forgeries and Facsimilies’ exhibi.tlon is the first time the subject has been staged on a large scale in this country,” he said. The exhibition, which opens tomorrow, will cover the whole deception spectrum, Mr Savill said. “The exhibition will be based on anything that appears in museums that is not the genuine thing,” he said. As well as the more traditional fakes and forgeries such as mermaids, stamps and the Piltdown Man, Mr Savill said there would also be a display of items like wigs, padded shoulders and false bras. “This will show the way man uses the art of forgery in everyday life,” he said. He said museum staff had been working on the exhibition since late last year and many people had made contributions. Mr Savill said several local experts on stamps and coins had helped with advice and contributions for the exhibition. He expects much public interest in the exhibition and said the exhibition would be very educational, particularly to art investors. “Investors should be aware of the way technological changes are used to pull the wool over their eyes,” he said.