19 October

Fake or Fortune is one of my favourite shows. Where they investigate whether paintings people own are genuine or fakes. What’s most interesting for me goes back to imitation, or copying, copies or imitations are worth next to nothing. ‘Originals’ are worth a fortune. Copies can be so good it takes enormous scholarship, x-rays, chemical analysis etc. to tell them apart from the original. If they’re indistinguishable, why is one worth a fortune, the other nothing? That question will take you to the heart of our entire culture I think. Images, and what they mean.