18
March 2026

Frauds and Fakes - Paintings that Fooled The World

Welcome to The Arts Society Mid Sussex
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - 10:30
Whitemans Green Sports Club Cuckfield RH17 5HX
Online Event

How do you tell a fake from the real thing? With great difficulty!

This talk relates fascinating stories from behind the scenes of the great art museums of the world. It delves into the complex histories and consummate skills of some of the infamous forgers of the art world who have cleverly and successfully fooled the experts. Despite cutting-edge modern technology and the expertise of art historians and connoisseurs, fake art works continue to circulate on the art market and even, occasionally, make their way into museum collections. The recent troubling case of the $450 million Da Vinci masterpiece ‘Salvator Mundi’, is a case in point – dividing the experts on critical issues of authentication and restoration, revealing an art world that is always in fear of the ‘perfect’ forgery.

THE ARTS SOCIETY ACCREDITED LECTURER

Ms Georgina Bexon

Georgina is an art historian specialising in South Asian art who has lived and worked in the UK, USA and Singapore. Her practice includes lecturing, writing, consulting and collecting and she has developed a network of gallery and artist connections in Europe, the USA and India, which she visits regularly.  

Consultant Art Historian at the Oriental Club in London and an official tour guide at Tate Modern, Georgina is also a guest speaker on luxury cruise ships for whom she has developed a series of art talks relating to Asian and Pacific destinations. She has been a visiting lecturer at UK universities, presents talks at leading art institutions including Christie’s Education New York and the Museum of Modern Art, Moscow and speaks at international art conferences, most recently in New York, Paris, London and Lisbon.

Georgina holds a BA in Art History from Southampton University, an MA in Arts Management and Policy from City, University of London and an MA in Art History from SOAS, University of London. Georgina is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Asiatic Society.