You finally see that smoky treasure ship docked at the secret beach. You run down there, heart pounding, hoping Jolly Redd actually has something decent this time. Then you see it. The "Amazing Painting." It looks right. Or does it? Honestly, the guy is a crook. Redd is the shadiest fox in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and if you aren't careful, you’ll end up with a basement full of haunted canvas and a very disappointed Blathers.
Knowing how to tell if Redd's paintings are fake New Horizons players' biggest headache is basically a rite of passage. It isn’t just about the bells. It’s about that museum wing. You want it full. You want it legitimate. But Nintendo got clever with this entry. In previous games, the fakes were obvious. Now? They use subtle lighting, tiny anatomical shifts, and sometimes, the paintings even change at night.
The Art of the Deal (and the Scam)
Redd shows up with four pieces of art. Sometimes they are all fake. Sometimes one is real. On rare occasions, you might get lucky and find several genuine pieces, but don't hold your breath. You’ve got to get up close. Use the zoom camera. If you don't look at the details, you're just throwing 4,980 Bells into a fox-shaped incinerator.
Take the Academic Painting. It’s based on Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. In the real version, the top right corner is clean. In the fake? There’s a coffee cup stain. It’s a literal mug mark. Why would a Renaissance masterpiece have a latte stain? Because Redd has no respect for history, that’s why.
Then there is the Wistful Painting. Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. This one is tricky because there are actually two different fakes. One has a star-shaped earring instead of a pearl. The other has the girl's eyes closed. And here is the kicker: the one with the closed eyes is haunted. At night, she opens them. If you’re decorating your house with that, maybe keep the lights on.
How to tell if Redd's paintings are fake New Horizons: The Dead Giveaways
Most of these forgeries rely on "spot the difference." You need to know what the actual, real-world art looks like. Or, you need a very good guide.
🔗 Read more: First Name in Country Crossword: Why These Clues Trip You Up
The Famous Painting (the Mona Lisa) is a classic example. Look at the eyebrows. Or rather, the lack of them. The real Mona Lisa famously has very faint or non-existent eyebrows. Redd’s fake version gives her eyebrows that are tilted up in a weirdly aggressive, "I'm judging your island layout" sort of way. If she looks angry, leave it on the boat.
The Anatomy of a Fake
Sometimes it’s about the hands. Or the clothes.
- Scary Painting: This is Toshusai Sharaku’s actor print. In the real one, the guy looks worried, but his eyebrows follow a natural curve. The fake makes him look almost sad, with eyebrows that slant down toward the outside of his face.
- Detailed Painting: Based on Ajisai Shokei-zu by Ito Jakuchu. The real one has blue flowers. The fake has purple ones. Also, look at the signature on the left. If it’s missing, it’s a forgery.
- Wild Painting Left and Right Half: These are the bane of every museum completionist. They represent the Wind and Thunder Gods. On the Left Half, the god is usually white. If he's green, it’s a fake. On the Right Half, he should be green. If he’s white there? Fake. It’s a color swap scam.
Why Some Art is Always Safe
Believe it or not, Redd isn't always trying to ruin your life. There are several pieces that are always genuine. He hasn't figured out how to forge these yet, apparently. If you see the Calm Painting, Common Painting, Dynamic Painting, or the Flowery Painting, buy them immediately. They are 100% real, every single time.
The same goes for the Glowing Painting and the Moody Painting. No fakes exist in the game files. If you're struggling with how to tell if Redd's paintings are fake New Horizons won't punish you on these specific items. It's a free pass. Take it.
The Statues are a Whole Other Problem
It’s not just canvases. Redd brings statues too. These are often harder to verify because they are 3D.
💡 You might also like: The Dawn of the Brave Story Most Players Miss
The Warrior Statue (Terracotta Army) is a frequent flyer. The real one is holding nothing. The fake one is leaning on a shovel. It’s subtle, but once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Then there’s the Ancient Statue. The fake one has antennae. Antennae! And it glows at night. It’s basically an alien. Honestly, some people prefer the fake for that reason. It looks cool in a sci-fi themed room. But Blathers won't touch it with a ten-foot pole.
The Nighttime Secret
You have to realize that New Horizons introduced "haunted" art. This is a detail many players miss. Certain fakes change when the sun goes down.
The Graceful Painting is a prime example. The real woman takes up about two-thirds of the height of the canvas. The fake version is much larger. But the creepy part? At night, the woman in the fake painting turns her head to look at you. If you buy it and put it in your bedroom, you’re basically inviting a ghost to watch you sleep.
The Ancient Statue we mentioned earlier? Its eyes glow blue when the clock hits 7:00 PM. It also starts to float if you interact with it. These "features" are actually a great way to tell if you’ve been scammed after the fact, even if you can’t get a refund.
Dealing with the Disappointment
So you bought a fake. It happens to the best of us. You go to the museum, Blathers does his little disappointed "hoo-hoo," and you're left holding a worthless piece of junk. What now?
📖 Related: Why the Clash of Clans Archer Queen is Still the Most Important Hero in the Game
You can’t sell fakes to Tommy and Timmy. They’re too smart for that. They'll just tell you they can't take "suspicious" items. You can't even gift them to your villagers without losing friendship points (unless that villager is a jerk and you’re sending a message). Your only options are to toss it in a trash can furniture item or use it as decor. Some of the fakes, like the Fake Moving Painting (the one with the missing trees), actually look pretty decent on a wall.
Expert Strategies for Your Next Visit
Next time Redd docks, don't just eyeball it.
- Use the Pro Camera. Get right up in the painting's business. Zoom in until you can see the texture of the "paint."
- Compare Side-by-Side. Keep a reference of the real-world artwork open on your phone or laptop. Nintendo used the actual Mona Lisa, the actual Girl with a Pearl Earring, and the actual Great Wave off Kanagawa. If the pixels don't match the history book, walk away.
- Check the "Always Real" List First. If he has one of the pieces that are never forged, buy that one first. You can only buy one piece of art per day per character. Don't waste your slot on a "maybe" if there's a "definitely" right next to it.
- Talk to your villagers. Sometimes they send you art in the mail. Usually, it's fake. Smug villagers are notorious for sending forgeries. Lazy villagers, surprisingly, often send the real deal. It’s a weird quirk of the game's AI.
Navigating Redd's gallery is a game of patience. It’s meant to be slow. It’s meant to take months, or even years, to finish that wing of the museum. But once you master the nuances of how to tell if Redd's paintings are fake New Horizons becomes a much more rewarding experience. You stop being the victim and start being the connoisseur.
Your Next Steps:
- Check your current inventory: Head to your storage and pull out any art you've been holding onto. Take it to Blathers immediately to clear out the "maybe" pile.
- Set up a "Fake Art" Disposal Area: If you're an avid hunter, keep a trash can near your pier. It saves you the walk to the Nook's Cranny drop box when you realize you've been duped.
- Visit Harv's Island: If you've unlocked the shops there, Redd has a permanent stall. He cycles his stock every Monday, but if you buy a piece (even a fake one), he will replace it with a new one the next day. This is the fastest way to "force" the game to show you new art.
Don't let the fox win. Get in there, look at the eyebrows, check for coffee stains, and build the museum your island deserves.