Animal Crossing: Fake Art Guide + Uses for Redd's Forgeries

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How to tell real and fake art apart in ACNH

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: May 4, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Genuine Artworks
|
• Forged Artworks
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• What to Do With Fake Art

|Show more |Show less

There's nothing worse than dropping a lot of Bells on some art from Jolly Redd's Treasure Trawler only to find out that Blathers won't accept it because it's a fake. While it might seem impossible to tell the forgeries apart from the genuine pieces, it's not if you know what you're looking for. In this article, we go over how to tell which paintings and statues are real and which are fake, as well as what to do with any fake art you might have already bought. Read on to learn more!

Spotting Fake Art in Animal Crossing

• Some art forgeries are outlandish and easy to spot, while others are more difficult.
• All the paintings and statues are based on real pieces of art. If you know the original, it's easier to spot the fake.
• Fake artwork can be used as decoration or gifts, but they have no monetary value.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Genuine Artworks

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1. 
   There are some artworks that are always genuine. While Redd mostly sells forgeries, a few of his items are always the real deal. The following paintings and statues are always genuine:

   • Calm painting (based on Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte")
   • Common painting (based on Jean-François Millet's "The Gleaners")
   • Dynamic painting (based on Hokusai's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa")
   • Flowery painting (based on a painting in Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflower" series)
   • Glowing painting (based on Joseph Mallord William Turner's "The Fighting Temeraire")
   • Moody painting (based on Jean-François Millet's "The Sower")
   • Mysterious painting (based on Arnold Böcklin's "Isle of the Dead")
   • Nice painting (based on Édouard Manet's "The Fifer")
   • Perfect painting (based on Paul Cézanne's "Apples and Oranges")
   • Proper painting (based on Édouard Manet's "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère")
   • Sinking painting (based on John Everett Millais's "Ophelia")
   • Twinkling painting (based on Vincent van Gogh's "The Starry Night")
   • Warm painting (based on Francisco Goya's "La maja vestida")
   • Worthy painting (based on Eugène Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People")
   • Familiar statue (based on Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker")
   • Great statue (based on Thomas Ridgeway Gould's "King Kamehameha I")
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Section 2 of 3:

Forged Artworks

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   Academic painting The forged version of the Academic painting has a round coffee stain in the upper-right corner. The forgery also has a key taped to the back of the canvas. If there's no coffee stain or key, the painting is real.

   • This painting is based on Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man."
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   Amazing painting In the forged version of the Amazing painting, the man in the middle dressed in black is not wearing a hat. If the man in black is wearing a hat, the painting is real.

   • This painting is based on Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn's "The Night Watch."
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   Basic painting In the forged version of the Basic painting, the boy has a bowl cut with long bangs. If he has shorter, wavier hair with thinner bangs, it's genuine.

   • This painting is based on Thomas Gainsborough's "The Blue Boy."
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   Detailed painting In the forged version of the Detailed painting, the flowers are purple. The genuine painting has blue flowers. The fake is also missing the red stamp and signature on the left side of the painting.

   • This painting is based on Itō Jakuchū's "Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas."
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   Famous painting In the forged version of the Famous painting, the woman has raised eyebrows. If her eyebrows are not raised, it's the real painting.

   • This painting is based on Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa."
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   Graceful painting In the fake version of the Graceful painting, the woman's white collar is missing and she's very large, taking up most of the painting. She is sometimes also looking the wrong way. In the original, the woman has a white collar, is smaller and positioned towards the bottom of the painting, and is looking to the right.

   • This painting is based on Hishikawa Moronobu's "Beauty Looking Back."
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   Jolly painting In the forged version of the Jolly painting, the subject is missing the artichoke sticking out of his chest. If there is an artichoke stuck in his chest, it's the real painting.

   • This painting is based on Giuseppe Arcimboldo's "Summer."
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   Moving painting In the forged version of the Moving painting, there is no tree behind the people in the painting, and the sky is clearly visible. If there's a tree in the upper-right corner of the painting, it's genuine.

   • This painting is based on Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus."
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   Quaint painting In the forged version of the Quaint painting, the liquid being poured from the pitcher is wide. If the liquid is pouring out at a thin trickle, it's the genuine painting.

   • This painting is based on Johannes Vermeer's "The Milkmaid."
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    Scary painting In the fake version of the Scary painting, the man's eyebrows are slanted upwards, and he looks sad. He will also sometimes be smiling. If the man has eyebrows slanting down and he looks angry with a frown, it's the real painting.

    • This painting is based on Sharaku's "Ōtani Oniji the 3rd as Yakko Edobei."
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    Scenic painting In the forged version of the Scenic painting, there is only one hunter standing in the bottom left part of the painting. If there are two hunters, it's the real painting.

    • This painting is based on Pieter Brueghel the Elder's "The Hunters in the Snow."
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    Serene painting In the forged version of the Serene painting, the woman is holding a white and black ermine. In the real painting, she is holding a pure white ermine.

    • This painting is based on Leonardo da Vinci's "Lady with an Ermine."
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    Solemn painting In the forged version of the Solemn painting, the man in the background is raising his right arm to wave. If his arm is behind the curtain, it is the real painting.

    • This painting is based on Diego Velázquez's "Las Meninas."
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    Wild painting The Wild painting comes in two halves: the left half, which features Raijin, and the right half, which features Fujin. In the forgery, Raijin is green and Fujin is white. In the real painting, Raijin is white and Fujin is green.

    • This painting is based on Tawaraya Sōtatsu's "Folding Screen of Fujin and Raijin."
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    Wistful painting The woman has a star-shaped earring in the forged version of the Wistful painting. She will also sometimes blink her eyes. In the genuine version, she has a round earring and will not blink.

    • This painting is based on Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring."
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    Ancient statue The forged version of the Ancient statue has antennae on its head. Its eyes will also glow at night, and it will float if interacted with. The genuine statue does not have antennae or glowing eyes, and does not float.

    • This statue is based on Jomon period "Dogū" figurines.
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    Beautiful statue In the forged version of the Beautiful statue, the woman is wearing three necklaces. If she does not have any necklaces, it's genuine.

    • This statue is based on the "Venus de Milo."
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    Gallant statue In the forged version of the Gallant statue, the man is holding a book in his right hand, between his arm and waist. In the real version, he doesn't have a book.

    • This statue is based on Michelangelo's "David."
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    Informative statue In the forged version of the Informative statue, the statue is blue and glows at night. If the statue is a normal stone-colored gray, it's real.

    • This statue is based on the "Rosetta Stone."
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    Motherly statue In the forged version of the Motherly statue, the wolf's tongue will be hanging out of her mouth. If the wolf isn't sticking out her tongue, the statue is real.

    • This statue is based on the "Capitoline Wolf."
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    Mystic statue In the forged version of the Mystic statue, the woman has an earring in her right ear. If the woman has no earring, the statue is genuine.

    • This statue is based on Thutmose's "Bust of Nefertiti."
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    Robust statue In the forged version of the Robust statue, the statue has a watch on his right wrist. If the statue has no watch, it's the genuine version.

    • This statue is based on the "Discobolus" of Myron.
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    Rock-head statue In the forged version of the Rock-head statue, the statue is smiling. If the statue has a neutral expression, it's the real version.

    • This statue is based on the Olmec colossal heads.
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    Tremendous statue In the forged version of the Tremendous statue, the statue has a lid. If there is no lid, it's the genuine version of the statue.

    • This statue is based on the Houmuwu ding.
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    Valiant statue In the forged version of the Valiant statue, the right wing is smaller and the left leg is in front of the right. If the right leg is in front of the left and the left wing looks smaller, it's genuine.

    • This statue is based on the "Winged Victory of Samothrace."
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    Warrior statue In the forged version of the Warrior statue, the soldier is holding a shovel. If there is no shovel, it's the real version of the statue.

    • This statue is based on the Terracotta Army.
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Section 3 of 3:

What to Do With Fake Art

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   Decoration Many ACNH players end up using fake paintings and statues as decoration, despite the fact that they're not real. In a Reddit thread discussing what to do with fake art, players said they used their fakes to decorate themed rooms/areas. Some examples are an art school, a fake art gallery, a hidden forgery room, and a fake art shop.
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   Gifts If you try to give a villager a forgery, they will usually turn it down (unless you have a super high relationship with them). However, some players have discovered that if you send a villager fake art in the mail, they usually like it quite a bit. If you find yourself with a fake that you don't know what to do with, try sending it to a villager for a boost in their relationship!
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   Throw them out Sadly, you can't turn forgeries into Blathers at the museum, and Timmy and Tommy won't buy them at Nook's Cranny. If you don't want to use them as decorations and you don't want to give them as a gift, you'll unfortunately have to throw them out. Then, bookmark this guide so you can come back the next time you want to buy art from Redd!
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