080083 PS Case Study II/III: The Art of Fake: History and Practice of Artistic Forgery (2024S)

Using the history of art forgery as a starting point, the seminar will discuss the concept and construction of authenticity in the history of Western art. Topics covered will include the ancient and modern culture of copy (from casts to modern facsimiles), the history and methods of connoisseurship, and the practice and materiality of falsification and restoration.

Through intensive engagement with an art historical subject, students expand and consolidate the specialist knowledge, methods and skills they have previously acquired. They are able to independently gain an overview of the relevant specialist literature and to analyse it critically. They have begun to contribute to the art historical research process orally and in writing.