By Libera Picchianti, Curator, House of European History
Director of the Swedish museum Henrik Borg and Chair of the municipal board Camilla Palm, were joined at the opening by head curator of the House of European History Kieran Burns. Key themes in their opening speeches were the importance of transnational collaborative projects to improve cultural understanding, and at a more macro level, the central role of museums in today’s “post-truth” societies.
Appropriately therefore, the exhibition presents all kinds of forgery throughout European history, from the time of the ancient Romans to the present day. Some of the faked stories and objects are very famous, whilst others are obscure, tragic, curious, long-lasting, implausible, shameful and heroic. Significantly, the exhibition narrative also pays tribute to those who, with courage and rigour, have devoted themselves to debunking these fake phenomena. In other words: there is something for every taste and interest.
Raluca Neamu, project manager for touring exhibitions at the House of European History, personally thanked in her speech all the colleagues, partners and contractors who contributed to the realisation, promotion, logistics and several re-installations of “Fake for Real”, along its tour across the continent.
Sweden is indeed the final stop of a northwards journey, that began almost two years ago in Thessaloniki and continued through Sofia, Budapest, and Gdańsk. The exhibition has been hosted by very different types of venues, ranging from art galleries, ethnographic and war museums to archives, each of which hosted and displayed the exhibition with its own approach, focus, and interpretative perspective.
The Regional Museum of Skåne, already a cultural and educational reference point for the city and the region, will add the Fake for Real exhibition to its already rich offering of permanent displays. It will be accessible and free of charge until September 2026.
