Forged Banksy art to go on display at V&A

17/12/2009

London's Victoria and Albert Museum is set to display fake versions of work by artists such as Banksy, LS Lowry and Barbara Hepworth, it has emerged.

According to the Times, the exhibition will feature over 100 pieces that would have a collective value of £4 million if they were genuine.

The display, which is set to run from January 23rd to February 7th next year, has been put together by the Metropolitan Police's art and antiques unit.

Detective Sergeant Vernon Rapley told the newspaper: "This display will demonstrate that art crime is not just a topic for historic consideration. It reveals a situation very much alive."

The exhibition will also include the work of Shaun Greenhalgh, one of the UK's most notorious art forgers of recent times, who was jailed for four years in November 2007.

Working from his garden shed in Bolton, Greenhalgh faked work by a diverse range of artists, including Lowry, Hepworth, Paul Gaugin and Man Ray.