Originals and Fakes

One of the reasons why people are hesitant to invest in paintings, especially Chinese paintings, is a huge amount of fakes in the market. Most fakes look like fakes for professional eyes but not all of them. Recent steep appreciation of Chinese paintings has brought some new criteria to detect fakes, even for non-professional eyes.
When the original costs US$10,000 and reasonably evaluated while a really good fake is offered at US$1,000 - 5,000. There is a high possibility for you to buy the fake one and you think you had saved U$$5,000 - 9,000 or at least you think you made a good buy. However when the original costs US$100,000 and reasonably evaluated while a really good fake is offered at US$10,000 - 50,000, or when the original costs US$500,000 and reasonably evaluated while a really good fake is offered at US$50,000 - 250,000, you will surely be very careful to pay US$10,000 - 250,000, which is not small amount any more for most general personal investors or art lovers and collectors.

US$100,000 - 500,000 paintings are more likely exhibited at a expensive place with much care where the rent is high. If the paintings of this price range are exhibited at a cheep place with little care it is highly likely that they are fake. Some originals exceed US$1,000,000 now. Fake makers and dealers may not try these very expensive ones as many eyes see them.

On the other hand the sellers of fake paintings (seemingly syndicated) have been more careful to sell as the social pressure has become heavy, taking higher risk of heavy penalty or hopefully feeling higher sense of guilty. Greedy people always exist so that still there is a chance for the fake sellers to survive but it seems getting more and more difficult recently.


AAG