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Copies of Van Gogh's work in the artist village of Dafen near Shenzhen in southern China: Getty Images

05/04/2014 GMT

Counterfeiting

BBC World Service - The Forum, Counterfeiting

Fakes, forgeries and copies – how different are they?

Fake art and fake medicines – why are there such lucrative markets in both? With Bright Simons, Winnie Wong and Philip Hook

How do you spot a forgery in the art market? How can you tell if a medicine is a useless or even harmful fake which might make your illness even worse? Bridget Kendall is joined by Ghanaian anti-counterfeiting entrepreneur Bright Simons; art auctioneer and author of Breakfast at Sotheby’s – An A-Z of the Art World Philip Hook; and art historian Winnie Wong whose new book Van Gogh on Demand takes us on a trip to China, to a village where every year millions of copies of well-known oil paintings are churned out to be distributed for sale in around the world.

Photo shows copies of Van Gogh's work in the artist village of Dafen near Shenzhen in southern China (Courtesy of Getty Images)

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