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LAST ONE FACTUAL
Fake or Fortune?
THURSDAY / BBC1 / 9PMP
hilip Mould began
art dealing in his
early teens, before
going on to build up an
international business
specialising in early British art and
portraiture, earning himself the
moniker ‘Art Sleuth’ for discovering
a string of lost masterpieces.
Now, with over 30 years in the
business under his signature scarf,
Philip is having a ball working with
Fiona Bruce on Fake or Fortune?.
Currently in its eighth series, the
format uses a forensic approach to
uncover the secret history behind
some of the world’s most famous
artists, and Philip
says it still has the
ability to surprise
even him!‘Making this year’s series
was fascinating,’ says Philip, as
TV Times calls him for an exclusive
interview. ‘Sometimes you get a
feeling about whether a painting is
the real deal or not, but I think the
unforeseen is lurking around every
corner this time. We were caught
off-guard a few times!’
In this week’s series finale, Philip
and Fiona investigate a desirable
Venetian view that could be worth
either half a million pounds or up to
£10 million, depending on the artist.
It’s beautiful, but Philip says he’s
learnt not to get too attached to any
piece – no matter how good it looks.
‘You can never be completely sure
about anything until you get that final
judgement,’ he explains. ‘Sometimes
you think you’ve proved it beyond
a doubt, only for an expert to reject
it. I’ve learnt to rein in my emotions
because if I got overly excited I’d end
up a sweating nervous wreck!’
Yet, while he may play it cool on
Fake or Fortune?, over the
years Philip has been lucky
enough to see and work
with some of the world’s
most incredible paintings.
Here, he shares with us six
favourites that have changed
his life and the art world...
SEAN MARLANDFAKE OR FORTUNE? IS
PREVIEWED ON PAGES 72-1
THE SUPPER AT EMMAUS
by Han van Meegeren, 1937
Dutch painter Han van Meegeren was the
first forger to be romanticised by the media,
and Philip has long been interested in
researching his incredible forgeries.
‘The Supper at Emmaus is one of the most
famous forgeries of all time; this painting is a
copy of a famous work by [16th-century Italian
painter] Caravaggio,’ says Philip. ‘This work
demonstrates how far our techniques for
spotting fakes have come. Van Meegeren
fooled lots of experts back then, but he’d
never be able to get away with it today.’masterpieces
Fake or Fortune? expert
on the artworks
that mean the most to him
14 TV TIMESArt sleuth:
Philip