What is Authenticity in Art

In this course we will study what the term authenticity means and when an artwork is considered "authentic". Also, the broader philosophical issues around the problem of forgeries will be addressed. Subsequently, students will get an introduction into current methods and strategies to detect forgeries in the field of historical objects (specifically Old Master paintings ) and will gain an understanding how these research methods have developed over time. By analyzing concrete case studies, we will gain insight into the limitations and possibilities of the different research methods and nuance our ideas about originals, copies, imitations, forgeries and the different degrees of certainty in attribution issues.