Redd is a crook. Let’s just get that out of the way immediately. If you’ve spent any time on the secret beach at the back of your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you’ve likely stepped onto that dim, sketchy trawler and felt the immediate pressure of choosing between four suspicious canvases. You want to finish that museum wing. Blathers is waiting. But Redd? He’s literally out to get your Bells.
Knowing how to tell if art is real in Animal Crossing isn't just about being a completionist; it's about not being the person who buys a haunted painting that blinks at you at 2:00 AM.
Most people think they can just squint at the screen and spot the difference. Honestly, though? Nintendo got really clever with the details this time around. Some of the fakes are incredibly subtle—a slightly different earring, a raised eyebrow, or a stain that shouldn't be there. If you aren't comparing the in-game item to the actual historical masterpiece it's based on, you're basically gambling with your hard-earned currency.
Why Redd’s Art Gallery is Such a Headache
The problem started back in New Leaf, but New Horizons dialed the trickery up to eleven. In previous games, it was often a "one real, three fake" situation. Now? You might walk onto that boat and find four fakes. Or, if the RNG gods are smiling, three real pieces. There’s no pattern. You have to verify every single item individually every single time the boat docks.
Blathers won't take fakes. He’ll give you that look of utter disappointment, and you’ll be stuck with a piece of "art" that you can't even sell to Tommy and Timmy at Nook’s Cranny. They won't touch forged goods. Your only options are to trash it, give it to a villager who doesn't know any better, or display it in your house as a monument to your own failure.
The Tell-Tale Signs of a Forgery
The trick to how to tell if art is real in Animal Crossing is looking for the "off" detail. Every fake has exactly one specific discrepancy from the real-world masterpiece.
Take the Academic Painting, which is Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. In the real version, there’s no coffee stain. If you see a circular brown mark in the top right corner of Redd’s version, it’s a fake. It’s that simple, yet so easy to miss when you're rushing.
Then you have the Famous Painting, aka the Mona Lisa. This one is a classic Redd trap. In the forgery, her eyebrows are arched high in a way that makes her look surprised. The real Mona Lisa has very faint, almost non-existent eyebrows. If she looks like she’s just heard some juicy island gossip, leave it on the boat.
The Most Deceptive Fakes in the Game
Some of these are legitimately hard to spot without a magnifying glass. The Wild Painting Left Half and Wild Painting Right Half (based on Fujin-Raijin-zu) are notorious. You have to look at the color of the creatures. In the real "Left Half," the creature is white. If it’s green, it’s a fake. For the "Right Half," the real one is green, while the fake is white. It’s a color-swap scam that has ruined many a museum collection.
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The Moving Painting (The Birth of Venus) is another one that trips people up. Look at the trees in the background on the right side. In the real painting, there are trees. In the fake? They’re just... gone. It’s a literal forest for the trees situation.
I personally struggled with the Serene Painting (Lady with an Ermine). In the real one, the ermine is all white. In the fake, it has a grey/black ring around its eyes like a raccoon. It’s cute, sure, but Blathers will hate it.
Haunted Art: The Creepy Factor
Nintendo added a weird layer to the forgery system: haunted art. Some fakes change over time. The Scary Painting (based on Otani Oniji III as Yakko Edohei) is the most famous example. In the fake version, the man’s eyebrows might point up during the day, but at night, they point down, and he develops a sinister smile.
The Ancient Statue (the Dogū figurine) is even weirder. The fake version has antennae. If you interact with it, it floats. It literally hovers in the air. At night, its eyes glow blue. While these are technically "fakes" and can't go in the museum, they are actually highly sought after by players who want to build a "haunted" section of their island.
Statues Are the Real Boss Fight
If you think the paintings are tough, the statues are a nightmare. The Valiant Statue (Nike of Samothrace) is a heartbreaker because it’s so beautiful. But look at the legs. In the real one, the right leg is forward. In the fake, it’s the left.
The Beautiful Statue (Venus de Milo) is another tricky one. The fake wears a necklace. The real one does not. It’s a very thick, cord-like necklace that looks almost like a scarf. If she’s accessorizing, she’s a fraud.
Don't even get me started on the Motherly Statue. The real Romulus and Remus are nursing from the wolf. In the fake version, the wolf has her tongue hanging out. It’s a tiny, tiny detail that is incredibly easy to overlook if you're just glancing at the screen.
Check the Back of the Canvas
One of the most reliable ways to verify art—after you've already bought it, unfortunately—is to check the back of the item in your inventory. Real art in New Horizons has a small certificate of authenticity taped to the back of the frame.
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If you place the item on the ground and "look" at the back, or check the item details, that certificate is the ultimate proof. Of course, by then, you’ve already spent the 4,980 Bells. This is why visual verification before purchase is the only way to play.
Using the Camera Tool to Your Advantage
When you're on Redd’s boat, use the in-game camera app on your NookPhone. You can zoom in much closer than the standard "take a closer look" interaction allows.
Get right up in the face of the Girl with a Pearl Earring (the Wistful Painting). If her earring is a star instead of a pearl, you just saved yourself a few thousand Bells. If her eyes are closed? That’s another haunted fake. She actually opens and closes them at different times of the day.
The "Always Real" List
There is a small mercy in this game: some pieces are always real. Redd hasn't figured out how to forge these yet, or maybe they’re just too complex for his "cousin" discount operation.
If you see these, buy them immediately:
- Calm Painting (A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte)
- Common Painting (The Gleaners)
- Flowery Painting (Sunflowers)
- Glowing Painting (The Fighting Temeraire)
- Great Statue (Kamehameha I)
- Moody Painting (The Sower)
- Mysterious Painting (Isle of the Dead)
- Nice Painting (The Young Boy)
- Perfect Painting (Apples and Oranges)
- Proper Painting (A Bar at the Folies-Bergère)
- Sinking Painting (Ophelia)
- Twinkling Painting (The Starry Night)
- Warm Painting (The Clothed Maja)
- Worthy Painting (Liberty Leading the People)
If any of these pop up, you don't even need to look at a guide. Just grab them. They are the "safe bets" of the Animal Crossing art world.
Why This Matters for Your Island Rating
You might wonder why you should bother with the museum at all. Beyond the satisfaction of seeing those halls filled, a completed museum contributes to your island's overall vibe. While it doesn't directly boost your "star rating" in the same way that fences or flowers do, having a robust museum makes your island a destination for visitors.
Plus, once you donate your first piece of art, the museum expands. This is a key milestone in island progression. If you keep buying fakes, you're just stalling your own progress.
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What to Do With Your Fakes
Don't just leave fakes in your storage. Since you can't sell them to the Nooks, and villagers will eventually get annoyed if you keep gifting them garbage, you have a few options.
- Decoration: Some fakes look cool. The haunted ones are great for Gothic or forest-themed islands.
- The Trash Can: If you have a "garbage can" furniture item, you can actually dispose of fakes there. It’s the only way to delete them from existence.
- Mystery Tours: You can bring a fake art piece to a Nook Miles island and just leave it on the ground there. It’s technically littering, but Orville won't tell anyone.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Visit to Redd
Next time the "Jolly Redd’s Treasure Trawler" icon appears on your map, don't just run in and buy the first thing that looks pretty.
First, open a real-world reference image on your phone or laptop. Search for the actual painting name (like The Night Watch for the Amazing Painting).
Second, use the camera zoom. Look for the "fake" markers:
- Is the person’s hat the wrong color?
- Is there a guy in a suit in a painting from the 1600s? (Yes, the Amazing Painting fake actually does this).
- Is the statue holding an object it shouldn't be, like a shovel?
Third, check the "Always Real" list. If one of those is available, buy it first. You can only buy one piece of art per day from Redd, so prioritize the guaranteed win.
Finally, if you're playing with friends, check their boats too. Every player’s Redd inventory is different. If your boat is full of junk, your friend might have a real Gallant Statue just sitting there. You can travel to their island and buy it, provided you haven't already bought a piece of art on your own island that day.
Redd is a part of the Animal Crossing experience that tests your patience and your eye for detail. But once you know the tells, you stop being his victim and start being a collector. Blathers will thank you, and your museum will finally stop looking so empty.
To make sure you never miss a beat, keep a checklist of what you've already donated. There is nothing worse than buying a real painting only to realize you already have it hanging in the museum. Blathers won't take duplicates, and while you can sell real duplicates to other players for a high price, it's a hassle you can avoid with a simple list.
Inventory your gallery, cross-reference with the "Always Real" list, and keep your camera zoom ready. You've got a museum to finish.