Fake or Fortune? (2011)

Name: Fake or Fortune?
Rating: 8.6

Rating: 8.6

Synopsis

Journalist Fiona Bruce teams up with art expert Philip Mould to investigate the provenance or attribution of notable artworks.

First Air Date: 2011-06-19

Last Air Date: 2026-07-16

Number of Seasons: 14

Number of Episodes: 57

Networks: BBC One

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Fiona Bruce as Self - Presenter
Philip Mould as Self - Presenter
Aviva Burnstock as Self - Technical Specialist
Bendor Grosvenor as Self - Researcher

Seasons

Series 1 (2011)

Series 2 (2012)

Series 3 (2014)

Series 4 (2015)

Series 5 (2016)

Series 6 (2017)

Series 7 (2018)

Series 8 (2019)

Series 9 (2021)

Series 10 (2022)

Series 11 (2023)

Series 12 (2024)

Series 13 (2025)

Series 14 (2026)

Series 1 (2011)

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate four very different art mysteries: a disputed Monet, a Winslow Homer found near a rubbish dump, a celebrated Vermeer revealed as a Van Meegeren forgery, and a supposed Rembrandt connected to Nazi looting. The series establishes the programme’s mix of attribution, provenance, ownership disputes and art-world authority.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Monet (2011-06-19)

Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould investigate Bords de la Seine à Argenteuil, a riverside landscape believed by its owner to be an unrecognised work by Claude Monet. Scientific examination and provenance research build a compelling case, but the painting must still win acceptance from the authority responsible for Monet’s catalogue.
Ep. 2: Homer (2011-06-26)

A watercolour discovered beside a rubbish tip is identified as Children Under a Palm Tree, a lost work by American artist Winslow Homer. As the picture heads toward auction with a substantial valuation, the investigation shifts from attribution to provenance and the difficult question of who legally owns it.
Ep. 3: Van Meegeren (2011-07-03)

The team investigates The Procuress, a controversial painting at the Courtauld Institute associated with master forger Han van Meegeren. Technical analysis explores whether it was one of his final works and reveals how he deceived collectors and experts with paintings presented as newly discovered Old Masters.
Ep. 4: Rembrandt (2011-07-10)

Philip and researcher Bendor Grosvenor spot a poorly catalogued painting in a South African auction, apparently connected to Rembrandt. Their investigation uncovers a darker history involving Nazi looting, a Jewish art-dealing family and a work once regarded as a German national treasure. Scientific examination then seeks to establish the painting’s true authorship.