Identifying genuine artwork in Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains one of the most rewarding yet challenging tasks for curators of the island museum. Since the arrival of Jolly Redd and his Treasure Trawler, players have had to sharpen their eyes to distinguish masterworks from clever forgeries. With the enhanced graphical fidelity now available on the Switch 2 and the persistent updates through version 3.0, the details on these canvases and sculptures are clearer than ever, but the fox's tricks remain just as deceptive.

Unlocking the Art Gallery and Encountering Redd

To begin your collection, you must first donate at least 60 different items to the museum, including fish, bugs, and fossils. Once this threshold is met, Blathers will express a desire to expand into the fine arts. The following day, Isabelle will announce a suspicious character roaming the island. This is Jolly Redd. Your first purchase from him on land is guaranteed to be a genuine piece, which you must donate to trigger the museum's construction of the art wing.

After the expansion, Redd will periodically dock his boat at the "secret beach" on the northern shore of your island. Alternatively, for a more consistent shopping experience, you can fund his co-op stall on Harv’s Island. His inventory resets every Monday on Harv's Island, though purchasing an item will cause him to replace it with a new one the next day, allowing for faster collection completion.

The Rules of the Treasure Trawler

Redd’s business model is simple but rigid. Every piece of art, whether a world-renowned oil painting or a massive stone statue, is priced at 4,980 Bells. You are limited to one purchase per day across all locations. On his boat, Redd displays four pieces of art and two unique furniture items. It is statistically possible for all four pieces to be fakes, or for multiple pieces to be genuine. This makes visual inspection mandatory before confirming any transaction.

Paintings: Real vs. Fake Comparison

Academic Painting (Vitruvian Man) Based on Leonardo da Vinci's sketch, the real version is a clean depiction of human proportions. The fake version is easily spotted by a prominent coffee mug stain in the upper-right corner. In the high-definition textures of the current game version, this stain has a distinct brown ring texture.

Amazing Painting (The Night Watch) Rembrandt’s masterpiece is a test of observation. In the center of the painting, there are two lead figures. The man in black in the center must be wearing a hat. If he is hatless, the painting is a forgery.

Basic Painting (The Blue Boy) Thomas Gainsborough’s famous portrait features a young boy in blue. The fake version gives the boy long, straight bangs that cover his entire forehead. The genuine article shows much shorter hair with a more visible forehead.

Detailed Painting (Rooster and Hen with Hydrangeas) This vibrant Japanese work by Ito Jakuchu has a very specific color cue. In the genuine version, the flowers are blue. In the fake version, the flowers are purple or red, and the signature on the left side is often missing or altered.

Famous Painting (Mona Lisa) Perhaps the most famous forgery in the game. Look closely at the eyebrows. The real Mona Lisa has no eyebrows (or very faint ones, consistent with the original). The fake version features thick, aggressively arched eyebrows that give her a surprised look.

Graceful Painting (Beauty Looking Back) This scroll painting is one of the "haunted" items. The genuine version shows the woman taking up about two-thirds of the height of the scroll, looking toward the right. In the fake version, she is much larger, nearly reaching the top. Additionally, the haunted fake version may turn her head to face the other direction after 7:00 PM.

Jolly Painting (Summer) Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s face made of vegetables is usually genuine if you see a sprout or flower blooming from the chest area (the bottom right corner). The fake version lacks this small floral detail.

Moving Painting (The Birth of Venus) Sandro Botticelli’s iconic work should have a lush forest of trees on the right side behind the goddess. The fake version completely removes these trees, leaving only the open sea and sky.

Quaint Painting (The Milkmaid) Johannes Vermeer’s painting features a woman pouring milk. The key is the volume of the pour. The genuine version shows a very thin, steady trickle of milk. The fake version shows a much thicker, heavy pour that looks like a waterfall of white liquid.

Scary Painting (Otani Oniji III as Yakko Edobei) This woodblock print by Sharaku is another haunted piece. The genuine version features a man with an aggressive, downward scowl. The fake version shows his eyebrows arched upward in a worried or scared expression. At night, the haunted fake version might even show the character smiling.

Scenic Painting (The Hunters in the Snow) Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s winter scene is complex. Check the bottom left corner where the hunters and dogs are. There should be a full pack of dogs (about 13) and several hunters. The fake version often removes a significant portion of the dogs and hunters, leaving the area looking sparsely populated.

Serene Painting (Lady with an Ermine) Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of a woman holding an ermine is a classic. The genuine ermine is white/grey. The fake version features an ermine with black, circular patches around its eyes, resembling a panda or a ferret.

Solemn Painting (Las Meninas) Diego Velázquez’s complex scene requires you to look at the man in the doorway in the background. In the real painting, his arm is slightly raised but not fully extended. In the fake version, his arm is raised at a much sharper, almost 90-degree angle toward the door frame.

Wild Painting Left Half and Right Half (Folding Screen of Fujin and Raijin) These two pieces are often the last ones players find. For the Left Half (the Thunder God), the god should be white. If he is green, it is a fake. For the Right Half (the Wind God), the god should be green. If he is white, it is a fake. Note that fakes also have a signature in the corner that the real ones lack.

Wistful Painting (Girl with a Pearl Earring) Johannes Vermeer’s portrait is the most famous haunted item. The genuine version has a round pearl earring. The fake version has a star-shaped earring. At night, the haunted fake version will close its eyes.

Artworks That Are Always Genuine

Redd occasionally sells pieces that have no known forgeries. If you see these on the boat, they are safe to purchase immediately for your museum collection:

  • Calm Painting (A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte)
  • Common Painting (The Gleaners)
  • Dynamic Painting (The Great Wave off Kanagawa)
  • Flowery Painting (Sunflowers)
  • Glowing Painting (The Fighting Temeraire)
  • Moody Painting (The Sower)
  • Mysterious Painting (Isle of the Dead)
  • Nice Painting (The Fifer)
  • 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)

Statues: Real vs. Fake Comparison

Statues are rarer than paintings and often occupy the most prestigious spots in the museum gallery. Identifying their forgeries usually involves looking for modern additions or anatomical inaccuracies.

Ancient Statue (Dogū) This prehistoric Japanese figurine is frequently haunted. The real version has no appendages on its head. The fake version has two antenna-like ears. At night, the fake statue's eyes will glow blue, and it may even levitate if interacted with.

Beautiful Statue (Venus de Milo) The genuine Aphrodite of Milos is bare-necked. The fake version wears a distinct, thick necklace. The texture of the necklace matches the stone, but it is a clear historical inaccuracy.

Gallant Statue (David) Michelangelo’s David is a test of his accessories. The real statue is empty-handed. The fake version has David clutching a book under his right arm.

Informative Statue (Rosetta Stone) This Egyptian artifact should be gray basalt. The fake version is a bright, unnatural blue. Like other fakes, the blue Rosetta Stone glows at night, emitting a soft neon light.

Motherly Statue (Capitoline Wolf) This depiction of the founding of Rome features a wolf nursing twins. In the real version, the wolf has a normal tongue. In the fake version, the wolf's tongue is lolling out of its mouth in a panting gesture.

Mystic Statue (Nefertiti Bust) Thutmose’s bust of the Egyptian queen should be elegant and free of jewelry on the ears. The fake version features a large, golden earring on her right ear.

Robust Statue (Discobolus) The ancient Greek athlete throwing a discus is a study in motion. Check the wrist of the arm holding the discus. The real version is bare, while the fake version features a modern-looking wristwatch.

Rock-head Statue (Olmec Colossal Head) This massive stone head should have a stern, neutral expression with the corners of the mouth turned down. The fake version has a subtle but unmistakable smile, with the corners of the lips turned upward.

Tremendous Statue (Houmuwu Ding) This bronze ritual vessel from China is a heavy piece. The real version is an open container. The fake version includes a lid with a handle on top, which was not part of the original artifact's design as found.

Valiant Statue (Nike of Samothrace) This winged victory statue is distinguished by its stance. In the real version, the right leg is stepping forward. In the fake version, the left leg is the one leading the stride.

Warrior Statue (Terracotta Army) Checking the hands of this Chinese funerary statue is key. The real warrior has his hands at his sides or slightly forward, holding nothing. The fake version is clutching a shovel.

Managing Your Art Collection

Once you have purchased a piece, it will arrive in your mailbox the following day. Take it immediately to Blathers. If it is genuine, he will accept it for the gallery. If it is a fake, he will refuse it, though he will provide some interesting trivia about the real-life work it was based on.

Disposing of Forgeries Fakes cannot be sold to Tommy and Timmy at Nook’s Cranny. If you find yourself stuck with a fake you don't want to display, you have a few options:

  1. Trash Cans: Simply place a trash can furniture item and interact with it to permanently discard the item.
  2. Mystery Islands: Take the fake art with you on a Nook Miles Tour or a Kapp’n boat tour and drop it on the ground before leaving. Since these islands reset, the item will disappear.
  3. Decoration: Many fakes, especially the "haunted" ones or the glowing Informative Statue, make excellent decorations for themed areas or secret beaches.

Nook Miles Achievements Collecting art also progresses your Nook Miles goals. The "True Patron of the Arts" activity rewards you for donating pieces to the museum, with milestones at 1, 10, and 20 pieces. Furthermore, completing the entire gallery is a major milestone for reaching a 5-star island rating, as the museum’s total donation count contributes significantly to the island's cultural development score.

Final Strategy for Completion

To finish your gallery efficiently in 2026, leverage the co-op on Harv's Island. By buying one item from Redd every day at the co-op, you force his inventory to cycle. Even if both items on display are fakes you already own, buying one ensures that tomorrow will bring a fresh chance at a genuine piece. This "cycling" method is far more effective than waiting for his random visits to your home island's secret beach. Additionally, visiting friends' islands when Redd is in town can allow you to pick up pieces that might be rare in your own game's seed.