You're standing on Redd's dingy boat. The lighting is terrible. The music is a bit too "shady salesman," and you’re staring at a painting that looks mostly right. But something is off. Maybe the eyes are tilted? Maybe the color is too saturated? If you’ve played Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you know the crushing disappointment of handing a "masterpiece" to Blathers only for him to tell you—with that polite, judgmental hoot—that you’ve brought him a forgery.
Learning how to tell fake art in Animal Crossing isn't just about being a completionist. It’s about not letting that cousin-loving fox scam you out of 4,980 Bells.
Redd is smart. He knows that most of us aren't art history majors. He banks on the fact that you’ll glance at the Jolly Painting and think, "Yeah, that guy is made of vegetables, looks good to me." But the difference between a museum-grade "Summer" by Giuseppe Arcimboldo and a counterfeit is a tiny sprout coming out of the chest. It's subtle. It's annoying. And honestly? It’s kind of brilliant game design.
The Visual Tells: What You’re Actually Looking For
Most people think you need a side-by-side comparison for every single piece. You don't. Once you train your eye, you start noticing the patterns in Redd’s lies.
Take the Serene Painting (Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine). In the real version, the ermine is white. In the fake version, the ermine has a dark, greyish-blue circle around its eye. It looks like it hasn't slept in a week. Or look at the Wistful Painting (Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring). The fake version has a star-shaped earring instead of a round pearl. These aren't random glitches; they are specific, intentional "wrong" details.
Why Some Art is Always Real
Here is a secret that saves a lot of time: some items in the game don't have a fake version. If Redd is selling the Great Wave off Kanagawa (the Great Wave painting), buy it. Immediately. There is no forgery of that specific piece in New Horizons. The same goes for the Sinking Painting (Ophelia) and the Flowery Painting (Sunflowers).
Knowing which items are "Safe" is half the battle. If you see the Common Painting, the Moody Painting, or the Warm Painting, you don't even need to zoom in. They are always genuine. Redd might be a crook, but he hasn't figured out how to fake a Van Gogh sunflower yet.
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The Haunted Fakes (Yes, They Are Real)
This is where things get weird. Some fakes are actually "haunted."
If you accidentally buy a fake Ancient Statue (the Dogū statue with the goggles), try interacting with it at night. Its eyes glow blue. Even creepier? It floats. If you buy the fake Wistful Painting, the girl's eyes close at a certain time of evening.
Most players want the real deal for the museum, but there’s a huge secondary market for these haunted fakes. People use them to decorate "spooky" islands or secret basements. If you’re trying to figure out how to tell fake art in Animal Crossing, sometimes the "tell" is literally a supernatural phenomenon that happens after the sun goes down.
Detailed Breakdown of Common Forgeries
Let’s get into the weeds. You need specifics if you're going to win this game.
The Scary Painting
Based on Otani Oniji III by Toshusai Sharaku. The real one has eyebrows that curve downward, making the actor look genuinely angry. The fake? The eyebrows curve upward. He looks surprised or maybe just slightly concerned about his life choices. It's a tiny shift in lines that changes the whole vibe of the piece.
The Moving Painting
Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. Look at the trees in the top right corner. In the real painting, there are trees. In the fake painting? No trees. It’s just open sky. It’s one of the easiest fakes to spot because the right side of the canvas looks completely empty.
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The Valiant Statue
The Nike of Samothrace. This one is tricky. You have to look at which leg is forward. In the real statue, the right leg is stepping forward. In the fake, it's the left. If you aren't an expert on Hellenistic sculpture, you will get this wrong every single time without a guide.
The Wild Painting (Left and Right Halves)
These are the bane of every museum curator's existence. They are two separate items that form a screen. For the Left Half, the god (Fujin) should be white. If he’s green, it’s a fake. For the Right Half, the god (Raijin) should be green. If he’s white, Redd is playing you.
The Camera Trick: Your Best Friend
Redd’s boat is dark. It’s intentionally designed to make it hard to see the details. If you’re playing on a Switch Lite or a small screen, you’re at a massive disadvantage.
Use the NookPhone Camera app.
When you stand in front of a piece of art and enter "inspect" mode, you can toggle the camera. Zoom in as far as you can. Change the filters to "Sharp" or "Silver" to increase the contrast. This often makes the subtle differences—like the stain on the Famous Painting (Mona Lisa) or the eyebrows on the Scary Painting—pop out much more clearly.
Dealing with the "Always Fake" Myth
There is a persistent myth that if Redd has three fakes, the fourth one must be real. That is completely false.
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It is entirely possible for Redd to show up with four fakes. It is also possible (though rare) for him to have multiple real pieces. I once had a boat visit where three out of the four paintings were genuine. Don't assume that because you found one fake, the rest are safe. Inspect everything. Every single time.
Also, keep in mind that your villagers can sometimes send you art in the mail. Smug villagers are notorious for sending fakes, while Jock villagers almost always send fakes or "stale" items. If a villager sends you art, check it before running to Blathers. It saves you the walk of shame back out of the museum.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Visit to Redd's
Don't go into that boat unprepared. Here is how you should handle every visit:
- Check the "Always Real" List First: Look for the Flowery, Moody, Nice, Sinking, or Proper paintings. If you see them, buy them. No inspection needed.
- Zoom in on the Face: Most fakes involve facial features. Look at the eyes, eyebrows, and ears. If the person looks like they’re wearing makeup that wasn't in the original era (like the Famous Painting's eyebrows), it’s a forgery.
- Watch the Hands: In statues like the Robust Statue, check the wrist. The fake version often has a watch or a different hand position.
- Look for Color Swaps: If a character's clothing or skin tone looks radically different from what you remember in a history book, trust your gut.
- Utilize the Community: If you're really stuck, there are massive databases online, but the quickest way is to compare the in-game "Inspect" view with a high-resolution image of the real-world artwork.
Redd is a staple of the Animal Crossing experience. He’s the antagonist we all love to hate. By mastering these visual cues, you transform his boat from a den of scams into a high-end sourcing opportunity for your 5-star island. Just remember: if it looks too good to be true, or if the statue is wearing a wristwatch, it definitely is.
Check your inventory, grab your Bells, and head to the secret beach. You've got a museum to finish.