How to Spot Fake Art in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Since Cousin Redd arrived with the April update in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, players have uncovered there’s something not quite right about the artwork he sells. While some of the paintings and statues are genuine works of art, you’ll quickly discover that many are fakes with missing features or odd details that distinguish it from the real thing. We’re going to cover how to spot the difference between real and fake art on Redd’s Treasure Trawler and answer some of the most frequently asked questions related to the suspicious red fox’s merchandise. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=animal-crossing-new-horizons-visiting-characters&captions=true"]

How Do I Get Redd To Visit My Island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Redd was introduced alongside Leif in the 1.2.0 patch update in late April. If you’re main menu displays this number (or higher for those of you playing after the game has been updated again) then Redd can visit your island. There are requirements for him to show up, however, so if you’re not seeing him yet then that could be a reason why. Redd will only appear once you have made at least 60 donations to the museum. After meeting this threshold, Blathers will inform you that he is now accepting art despite not having a place to display it. The following day, Redd will appear on the shore of your island and he’ll offer to sell you a painting. You have to haggle with him a bit for a lower price but he’ll give you your first genuine work of art. Give this to Blathers and he will close the museum the next day for renovations. When the museum opens up, there will be a new art exhibit on the second floor.Redd will return, this time to invite you to visit his Treasure Trawler. From this point forward, he’ll occasionally visit your island. If he is still not appearing for you, check out our Redd troubleshooting guide.

How Do I Know When Redd is Visiting My Island?

Following Redd’s first two appearances on your island, he will begin to dock his boat on the northernmost beach (also known as the secret beach). This means you won’t be running into him on the island itself and this can make it a bit difficult to know when he’s visiting. The easiest way to tell if Redd is visiting is to check your map. Simply press the ZL bumper to look at your Nook Phone, open the Map app, and check for Redd’s icon at the northernmost beach. If you see his Ginkgo leaf icon then you know for certain that his Treasure Trawler is docked and ready for you to visit. He's there as early as 5am and will remain docked until 4:59am the next day.

How Do I Spot Fake Art On Redd’s Treasure Trawler?

All the art on display in Redd’s Treasure Trawler is based on real-life works of art. You can use this bit of information to your advantage. It might be hard to get a good look at the pieces due to the dim lighting but there is a way to take a closer look. When you interact with an art piece on the Treasure Trawler, Redd will tell you the cost (all art he sells costs 4,980 Bells) and three responses will come up. One option is to take a closer look at the piece. Select this option and the art will be illuminated, and you can use the X and Y buttons to zoom in and examine it closely.Searching for the art and comparing it to what’s on display in Redd’s boat can help you distinguish the real art from the fake. Some pieces like Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man or the Nefertiti bust may be recognizable but other pieces might be completely foreign. Searching for “famous sculptures” and “famous art” can help, too, if you’re determined to figure it out on your own. If you’re still stumped, we suggest using our guide that has a growing list of real art vs fake art in Animal Crossing: New Horizons as a reference. [caption id="attachment_234853" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The earring on this Nefertiti bust proves it's a fake.[/caption]

 What Can I Do With Fake Art in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

As you may already know, Blathers will not accept any donations of fake art for the museum. Timmy and Tommy at Nook’s Cranny will also pass on buying the forged art, and villagers won't want it either. So, what are your options? You can choose to keep it and display it or trash it (as in literally dump the art in a trash can). Trashing the art is a waste of bells, however, and there's probably another player out there that would gladly buy the art from you so it's not a complete loss. Check out our 10 neat and helpful Animal Crossing user tools for ideas on where you can put the art up for sale. If all else fails, you can always gift, sell, or trade it to one of your friends. Before you do though, you might want to check and see if it's haunted first. [caption id="attachment_234864" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Nefertiti looks pretty good in my art deco themed bathroom![/caption]

How Can I Tell if I Have Haunted Art in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

If you come across fake artwork in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there’s a good chance it could be “haunted” or “creepy”. This kind of artwork will move or change, or sometimes feature something strange and out of the ordinary. Always examine your fake art from different angles (check the back) or try interacting with it or examining it at different times (night and day). Doing this can reveal something you might not have noticed about the painting before. Here’s a list of haunted or creepy artwork we’ve seen so far:

• Fake Wistful Painting: Has a star earring instead of a pearl, eyes occasionally close and open
• Fake Ancient Statue: Has antennas on the side of its head, eyes glow and the statue floats
• Fake Scary Painting: Eyebrows are angled down, smiles at night
• Fake Graceful Painting: Nearly fills up all of the space on the brown part of the painting, changes direction and has a strange shadowy figure on the back
• Fake Informative Statue: Stone is blue, glows at night
• Fake Academic Painting: Has a coffee stain, has a strange key taped to the back

We’ll update this list with more creepy and haunted art as we come across it. Make sure to check out our haunted paintings and creepy fake art guide for how to get rid of it if it creeps you out too much! [poilib element="accentDivider"] Felicia Miranda is SEO Editor at IGN. Find her on Twitter at @FeliciaVagabond.