Philosophy of art forgeries: the aesthetic difference between originals and copies.

Abstract

This thesis consists of three chapters and deals with the aesthetic status of forgeries regarding works of literature, the visual arts, and musical works. The first chapter deals with the definition of forgery and I explain the difference between forgeries and mere fakes. I also give examples of famous art forgeries. In the second chapter I explain the leading arguments regarding the aesthetic status of forgeries. These arguments come from Nelson Goodman, Alfred Lessing, Mark Sagoff, Denis Dutton, John Hoaglund, Tomas Kulka, Kendall Walton, and Sherri Irvin. In the final chapter I give my own view and explain what exactly is aesthetically wrong with forgeries. My main issue with forgeries deals with deception and with what this deception entails.