WINTERTHUR, DE.- Grab your detective hat. Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library is opening Treasures on Trial: The Art and Science of Detecting Fakes, a major exhibition offering visitors a Sherlock Holmes-style investigation of some of the most notorious fakes and forgeries of our time, April 1, 2017 – January 7, 2018. Revealing new insights from conservation science, Treasures on Trial includes 40 examples of fakes and forgeries associated with masters such as Henry Matisse, Coco Chanel, Paul Revere, Antonio Stradivari, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and others, drawn from the Winterthur Collection and public and private sources.

“Treasures on Trial presents a broad range of works that provide a rather startling view of the scope and sophistication of the counterfeiting market, from fine art to sports memorabilia, couture clothing, wine, antique furniture, and more,” said Linda Eaton, John L. and Marjorie P. McGraw Director of Collections and Senior Curator of Textiles at Winterthur. “Visitors will be able to see a fake Mark Rothko painting that was part of the Knoedler Gallery scandal; sports memorabilia fraudulently associated with Babe Ruth; counterfeit fashion and accessories masquerading as Chanel, Hermès, and Dior; wine purported to have belonged to Thomas Jefferson, as featured in the book Billionaire’s Vinegar; and fake antiques associated with Paul Revere and George Washington, among other fascinating works.”

Eaton co-curated Treasures on Trial with Colette Loll, Founder and Director of Art Fraud Insights, LLC, a Washington, DC, based consultancy dedicated to issues of art fraud.

Some of the fakes and forgeries are exhibited alongside authentic objects and are accompanied by new and rarely seen scientific insights from Winterthur’s own Scientific Research and Analysis Lab. Winterthur’s conservators and scientists are leaders in the field of scientific analysis of fine art and antiques, with a curatorial team renowned for their expert knowledge and historical detective work. The exhibition shows how a combination of provenance, research, connoisseurship skills, and scientific analysis are used to expose a broad range of fakes and forgeries that have fooled collectors and experts alike and reveals fascinating stories about the forgers themselves.

“In my work with law enforcement nationally and internationally, the time-tested tools of meticulous investigative work together with scientific analyses and connoisseurship help solve even the toughest cases involving fakes and forgeries,” said Loll. “Treasures on Trial goes a step beyond traditional exhibits on this topic by uniquely presenting analyses performed at Winterthur’s and other leading labs.”

Eaton said the exhibition is designed to both inform and entertain visitors and even provides them with the opportunity to judge for themselves whether some objects are fake or genuine.

“We’re particularly interested in showing the connection between art and science. Even though these disciplines are often considered separately, they’re both firmly at the center of all efforts to determine authenticity,” Eaton said.

Treasures on Trial features four sections – Intent, Evidence, Proof?, and You Be the Judge. It features film and video clips plus interactive opportunities.