Masterpieces of the twentieth century yes, but false. So how can you distinguish them from the originals without being an art expert? Who are the most counterfeit artists? How much is the black market in fake art worth? The exhibition answers these and other questions In defense of beauty set up in the foyer of the Aula Magna of the University's School of Letters, Philosophy and Languages Roma Tre and can be visited for freefrom today and until December 18th.
Burri's material art with his bag, the technological and multimedia one of Schifano, the expressionist one of Sironi, the futuristic and revolutionary one of Balla and that of the Macchiaiolo Fattori with his Tuscan Maremma. These are some of the 108 works seized by the Units of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) and analyzed by students, teachers and experts of the Fake laboratory of the Roma Tre University and exhibited together with the first results of the study conducted on them.
“An exhibition – declared the Rector Luca Pietromarchi – produced by the Laboratory of Fake which enhances the activities of our masters dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage, which are in turn models of dialogue between the humanities and applied sciences, as well as collaboration between the university institution and the Carabinieri ”.
50 YEARS OF PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE
On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, the Rector Pietromarchi presented the Commander of the Carabinieri TPC with the plaque of merit for the high role played by the Command itself in university education.
“Art – underlined the Jan.B. 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 bright path that illuminates the path of history. To alter that value is to throw darkness on light. Therefore I believe that the "Laboratory of forgery" is a precious tool, a commendable and intelligent initiative that must be carried out with the utmost commitment".
THE ROUTE OF THE EXHIBITION
Not only paintings on wood, canvas, paper, embroideries and multi-material works of contemporary art, but also sculptures inspired by the sacred and Japanese culture, together with 3D projections in an ad hoc multimedia section, curated by the “Giuseppe Caraci” geocartographic laboratory of the Department of Humanities of Roma Tre.
The different typology of counterfeit materials, alluding to different eras and geographical areas (ivories, painted surfaces, metal alloys, semi-precious stones), has required differentiated approaches both of humanistic and technological-scientific diagnostics. From the forgery of archaeological finds (ceramics, bronzes, coins, frescoes) to that of famous contemporary artists, which refer to the historical development of the Euro-Mediterranean culture, up to the more problematic evaluation of the counterfeiting of objects belonging to the Asian area, the path of The exhibition offers 7 thematic sections: 1) A wide-ranging phenomenon to be contrasted; 2) Authentic, fake, botched; 3) Beyond the disciplinary boundaries: the gaze on the work and inside the work; 4) The difficulty of distinguishing between true and false; 5) Simulate chronologies, materials and techniques; 6) Cultural damages and economic damages of forgery in art: case studies; 7) The "worst" and "best" of the fakes on display.
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
The presence of large groups of works signed by the same artist allowed a comparative analysis of the data. Particular attention was paid to the study of execution techniques, including the graphological examination of the signatures and other inscriptions on the back of some works, as well as archival research. Through the synthesis of the didactic apparatuses and the vision of the works on display, the visitor will therefore be able to grasp the main aspects of a complex and insidious phenomenon, which one must know in order not to be deceived.
THE LABORATORY OF THE FAKE
The "Laboratory of forgery", set up in the Department of Humanities (DSU) - University of Roma Tre, works in synergy with the laboratories of the Department of Sciences (Raman spectroscopy, LIME, LASR3) of the same university, with external bodies (INFN – National Laboratories of Frascati, Rome, and National Laboratories of the South, Catania; ArsMensurae), with Offices of the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities and for Tourism, with the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archeology and within the Technological District and cultural activities (DTC) of the Lazio Region.
THE WORK TEAM
In the study of the materials, in the preparation of the teaching aids and in the communication of the contents of the exhibition, students and teachers of second-level Masters active at the University of Roma Tre, Department of Humanistic Studies ("Experts in the evaluation and protection of cultural heritage" and "Scientific tools to support knowledge and protection of cultural heritage"), of Advanced Training Courses at the University of Roma Tre, Department of Sciences ("Diagnostics for cultural heritage" ) and at the University of Tuscia, Department of Humanities, Communication and Tourism ("Storyteller and content curator. Narrative strategies for the enhancement of cultural heritage").
