DOI article:
Rottermund, Andrzej: In place of a preface
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.23901#0011
IN PLACE OF A PREFACE:
INTRODUCTORY SPEECH FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE ROYAL CASTLE, WARSAW
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to cordially welcome you, here at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, to the readings on
„Forgeries in Polish Art Collections" organized by the Institute of Archaeology of Warsaw University,
and the Warsaw Branch of the Society of Art Historians.
I am delighted that the Royal Castle in Warsaw has been able to assist in the organization of
this event. I would like to thank the organizers, in particular Professor Jerzy Miziolek, for all their
efforts in organizing the session and preparing the academic grounds for this meeting.
I need not remind any of you that the subject of forgery in the history of art is one of the key
problems we have to deal with, even though it is rarely discussed in academic circles, and is more often
raised by the media.
This is an important problem in that it directs our thoughts to a whole series of issues such as:
original, authenticity, copy, replica, reconstruction, etc., as well as to axiological problems; issues
concerning connoisseurs in the arts and the art markets.
When we refer to the forgery of an object, we are confronting it with the original — and it is in
this very area that the problem of evaluating art arises. The problem, of course, is lack of originality —
but should that disqualify the work? In European culture, the answer is often „yes", but what about
other cultures?
The problem of forgery also poses a difficult practical problem for art collectors and curators of
museums. Thus, we cannot avoid a confrontation between the talent and knowledge of the forger and
the talent and knowledge of the academic, although in both cases the talent is of quite a different kind.
When the academic wins in the confrontation, it becomes public knowledge and we all learn about
the true status of the work of art, but when it is the forger who wins, it remains his secret. Revealing
the truth is one of the most difficult of our tasks.
I am also certain that in reflecting on the issues connected with forgeries we shall be entering
upon delicate ground; we shall have to deal with copies and replicas, imitations and restitutions, and
perhaps even reconstructions. And when we go as far as trading in art, we encounter a complicated
system of definitions and descriptions; a type of code used by auction houses and commercial galleries
which register the subtle differences covering a wide range of values, beginning with an authentic piece
and ending with a complete forgery. I assume that it is these issues that will be covered by the subject
matter of the papers and discussions during this international conference.
Andrzej Rottermund
Director of the Royal Castle, Warsaw
INTRODUCTORY SPEECH FROM THE DIRECTOR OF THE ROYAL CASTLE, WARSAW
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to cordially welcome you, here at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, to the readings on
„Forgeries in Polish Art Collections" organized by the Institute of Archaeology of Warsaw University,
and the Warsaw Branch of the Society of Art Historians.
I am delighted that the Royal Castle in Warsaw has been able to assist in the organization of
this event. I would like to thank the organizers, in particular Professor Jerzy Miziolek, for all their
efforts in organizing the session and preparing the academic grounds for this meeting.
I need not remind any of you that the subject of forgery in the history of art is one of the key
problems we have to deal with, even though it is rarely discussed in academic circles, and is more often
raised by the media.
This is an important problem in that it directs our thoughts to a whole series of issues such as:
original, authenticity, copy, replica, reconstruction, etc., as well as to axiological problems; issues
concerning connoisseurs in the arts and the art markets.
When we refer to the forgery of an object, we are confronting it with the original — and it is in
this very area that the problem of evaluating art arises. The problem, of course, is lack of originality —
but should that disqualify the work? In European culture, the answer is often „yes", but what about
other cultures?
The problem of forgery also poses a difficult practical problem for art collectors and curators of
museums. Thus, we cannot avoid a confrontation between the talent and knowledge of the forger and
the talent and knowledge of the academic, although in both cases the talent is of quite a different kind.
When the academic wins in the confrontation, it becomes public knowledge and we all learn about
the true status of the work of art, but when it is the forger who wins, it remains his secret. Revealing
the truth is one of the most difficult of our tasks.
I am also certain that in reflecting on the issues connected with forgeries we shall be entering
upon delicate ground; we shall have to deal with copies and replicas, imitations and restitutions, and
perhaps even reconstructions. And when we go as far as trading in art, we encounter a complicated
system of definitions and descriptions; a type of code used by auction houses and commercial galleries
which register the subtle differences covering a wide range of values, beginning with an authentic piece
and ending with a complete forgery. I assume that it is these issues that will be covered by the subject
matter of the papers and discussions during this international conference.
Andrzej Rottermund
Director of the Royal Castle, Warsaw