Art forger Shaun Greenhalgh’s shed recreated at V & A

More than 100 fake works, from Lowry paintings to Barbara Hepworth sculptures, form part of an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Experts said the collection, which also includes paintings purporting to be by Thomas Moran and Banksy, would be worth £4 million if genuine.

The showcase recreated the garden shed workshop of one of the most diverse art fakers in British history, Shaun Greenhalgh.

The master forger was jailed for four years and eight months in 2007 after police discovered an astonishing cottage industry in his Bolton garden.

Greenhalgh turned out artefacts from ancient Egyptian statues to Lowry pastels, Roman silver tableware and a “lost” Barbara Hepworth duck sculpture.

Other cases on display will include paintings by forgers John Myatt and Robert Thwaites.

The Metropolitan Police Service’s Investigation of Fakes and Forgeries
23 January – 7 February 2010
Rooms 17a & 18a
Free admission

By Andrew Wilcox

I love sheds Founder & judge of Shed of the year - Wilco writes mainly about sheds. About the blog Enter your shed into #shedoftheyear