Real Fake Stories

The traveling exhibition, Fake for Real: A History of Forgery and Falsification at the Galeria Centralis of Blinken OSA Archivum, explores the motives and effects of history’s most notorious forgeries and falsifications through more than 100 European artefacts. Throughout the series of events, Real Fake Stories, the events will draw on the stories of forgery presented in the exhibition to showcase renowned experts from different disciplines who will present the incredibly diverse world of forgery: from art forgeries to academic bluffs and fake news. 

January 25, 2025, Friday, 6:00 p.m.
Falsifying a Headshot
A Lecture by Dániel Ács

As the first event of the series of events, Real Fake Stories, accompanying the exhibition Fake for Real, journalist Dániel Ács will give a lecture on the history of the cult built around poet Miklós Radnóti and its often false elements.

“In November 1944 Miklós Radnóti was shot into a mass grave by Hungarian soldiers near the village Abda. The poet’s friends and his widow decided that their beloved, then only known to a small circle, would become the great poet of the new historical era. To do this, however, they had to create a Radnóti image that was appropriate to the needs of the time. Radnóti’s life, the interpretation of his poetry and, above all, his death had to be reshaped. It was like a communist canonization process, in which the biography was shaped and kneaded until it met the requirements of the current requirements. For decades, the official and the organic Radnóti cult were built in parallel. But what was real and unreal in the Radnóti story? What do we think today about the cult-building of the time? Surely it was a mistake? And how does all this relate to the Fake for Real exhibition?” 

The event is in Hungarian.

Admission is free, but registration is required. Registration link: https://forms.office.com/e/ixC0Drky3t

January 29, 2025, Wednesday, 6:00 p.m.
Delusion
A Lecture by István Rév

As the second event of the series of events, Real Fake Stories, accompanying the exhibition Fake for Real, István Rév will give a lecture on fake Holocaust memoirs.

These false, deceptive texts (also) serve to trace the changing politics of memory and cultural memory in recent decades. These “memoirs”, which reconstruct alleged childhood memories, have played a decisive role in shaping ideas about the functioning of individual and collective memory.

The event is in Hungarian.

Admission is free, but registration is required. Registration link: https://forms.office.com/e/XRwVCk4vxs

January 31, 2025, Friday, 6:00 p.m.
Fakes Through the Eyes of the Researcher
Exclusive guided tour with virologist Gábor Kemenesi 

As the third event of the series of events, Real Fake Stories, accompanying the exhibition Fake for Real, Gábor Kemenesi, Director of the National Laboratory of Virology at PTE, will give an exclusive guided tour in the exhibition. The program will give visitors a new perspective on the objects in the exhibition. The virologist will draw parallels between the “art” fakes on display and the scientific challenges of today. The social implications of the exhibition’s themes will be discussed, with a special focus on the issue of trust in science. The program offers an opportunity for a new approach to the relationship between art and science.

“As a virologist, I was presented with an exciting challenge when I was asked to guide the travelling exhibition Fake for Real: A History of Forgery and Falsification. Although I am not an art expert, I promise to take you on an unusual and thought-provoking walk through the objects in the exhibition. Together we will discover the surprising parallels between the world of artistic forgeries and the scientific challenges of our time. In our conversation, I'll highlight how the themes of the exhibition are reflected in today’s society, with a particular focus on the evolution of trust in science.”

The event is in Hungarian.
Admission is free, but registration is required. Registration link: https://forms.office.com/e/awR2YD3Js7

February 1, 2025, Saturday, 4:00 p.m.
“Our Contemporary, the Forger”
A lecture by Zsófia Végvári, Head of the Complex Painting Examination Laboratory

As the fourth event of the series of events, Real Fake Stories, accompanying the exhibition Fake for Real, Zsófia Végvári, Head of the Complex Painting Examination Laboratory, will give a lecture on art forgeries. The growth of the art market has led to an increasing number of fake paintings, or paintings of dubious origin, making it difficult to assess the works in a realistic way and to determine their true place in art history. 

In addition to art historical research, it is therefore increasingly important to study the artists’ materials for painting, since a work of art has both physical and chemical properties that characterize the artist’s style and the spirit of the work itself. The judging of works should not only be a process of stylistic critical analysis, but also a work based on scientific research, since the use of paint is as much a matter of individuality as the brushstrokes.

During the lecture, Zsófia Végvári, founder and head of the Complex Painting Examination Laboratory, will guide participants through the interdisciplinary world of chemistry and art history, giving insights into the research of fake works and the methods of identification in practice. 

The event is in Hungarian.
Admission is free, but registration is required. Registration link:
https://forms.office.com/e/iDPWaZnQEE