Animal Crossing: New Horizons Redd Art Guide

After more than two decades since the debut of Animal Crossing, long-time players have come to agree on one thing: Purchasing fake art from Redd is unbelievably frustrating. At nearly 5,000 Bells per piece in the latest installment, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, art certainly doesn’t come cheap, and it can be tough to reconcile the price if you don’t have much to spend. 

To make matters worse, you can neither sell nor donate fake art pieces at Nook’s Cranny or the museum, so the risk can easily outweigh the reward if you wind up with forged artwork. 

Luckily, there are telltale signs that indicate whether the art that Redd offers is real or fake, although the sly fox would have you believe every piece is authentic. While this is true for some pieces, most art comes in two or three different versions, and just one is the real deal. 

Here’s how to get your money’s worth and tell the difference between real and fake artwork in New Horizons. 

• Academic Painting: It’s easy to spot the difference between the real and fake versions of the Academic Painting, as the fake piece has a coffee ring stain on the top right, whereas the real piece does not. 

• Amazing Painting: To identify whether the Amazing Painting is real or fake, look closely at the black-clad gentleman who is front and center. If he’s wearing a hat, the painting is real. If not, it’s fake. 

• Ancient Statue: The Ancient Statue is extraterrestrial in appearance. The fake statue features antennae on the creature depicted, whereas the real statue does not. 

• Basic Painting: The Basic Painting features a young boy with a different haircut depending on whether it’s real or fake. The real painting shows the boy with M-shaped bangs, while the fake painting portrays him with straight, full bangs. 

• Beautiful Statue: The Beautiful Statue is a bit trickier to identify. Look closely at the statue’s neck; if it’s wearing a faintly outlined necklace, it’s fake. If not, it’s real.

• Calm Painting: As the Calm Painting suggests, you can relax. This painting showcases a busy park during the day, and it’s always real. 

• Common Painting: Easy to obtain, the Common Painting depicts women tending fields, and it’s always real. No forgeries here. 

• Detailed Painting: The Detailed Painting features a rooster and hen preening themselves beside flowers. In the real artwork, the flowers are blue. In the fake, they’re purple. 

• Dynamic Painting: The Dynamic Painting showcases a large, crashing wave. This piece is always real, so don’t worry about purchasing a forged piece.

• Familiar Statue: No need to think twice. Depicting a thinking man with his chin to his hand, the Familiar Statue is always real. 

• Famous Painting: The Famous Painting is an in-game version of the Mona Lisa, which famously depicts a woman who appears to have no eyebrows. This is the case in the real piece, while the fake gives her full, arching brows. 

• Flowery Painting: The Flowery Painting showcases Vincent van Gogh’s painting, aptly titled Sunflowers. Rest assured; this piece is always real.

• Gallant Statue: The Gallant Statue mirrors Michelangelo’s David. If the statue features a book in its grasp on the left, it’s a fake. If not, the piece is real. 

• Glowing Painting: The Glowing Painting beautifully portrays a sailboat at sunset. Fortunately, this painting is always real.

• Graceful Painting: Don’t be duped by the Graceful Painting; there are two fake versions of this piece. The real piece depicts a woman in a traditional Kimono with her head turned to the right, and the canvas itself features a bit of empty space above her. Forgeries either show the woman facing forward or feature no extra space above the woman. 

• Great Statue: Depicting a cloaked man with a spear, the Great Statue is always real, which is, in fact, pretty great. 

• Informative Statue: It’s very easy to spot the difference between the real and fake Informative Statue. The fake seems to glow with a vivid blue hue while the real statue is simply grey stone.

• Jolly Painting: The Jolly Painting depicts a man made of fruits and vegetables. In the real piece, an artichoke stems from his chest. However, this feature is missing in the fake. 

• Moody Painting: The Moody Painting depicts a man solemnly sowing seeds in a field. No worries, though; this piece is guaranteed to be real. 

• Motherly Statue: Showcasing a canid mother suckling children, the fake Motherly Statue features the animal’s tongue in the details of its mouth, whereas the real statue does not.

• Moving Painting: The Moving Painting is an in-game version of The Birth of Venus, featuring a goddess born from a seashell. The real painting includes trees on the right side, but this detail is absent in the fake.
• Mysterious Painting: No need to guess the authenticity of this beautiful piece featuring a seaside cove. The Mysterious Painting is always real.

• Mystic Statue: The Mystic Statue is a bust of an Egyptian woman. In the fake, she’s wearing earrings. However, this feature is absent on the real statue.

• Nice Painting: The Nice Painting depicts a young boy who is playing an instrument in professional garb. There is no fake version of this painting, so you’re safe to purchase it.

• Perfect Painting: Depicting bowls overflowing with fruits, the Perfect Painting is perfectly safe to purchase, as it’s always real. 

• Proper Painting: The Proper Painting is also guaranteed to be authentic, featuring a young woman in a blue dress standing at a bar. 

• Quaint Painting: In the Quaint Painting, a woman is pouring either milk or water from a pitcher. The liquid’s stream is very thin in the real painting, while it’s much heavier in the fake. 

• Robust Statue: The Robust Statue features a man throwing a disc. To spot the difference between the real and the fake, look closely at his wrist; if he’s wearing a bracelet of some kind, it’s fake. If not, it’s real.

• Rock-Head Statue: The Rock-Head Statue is one of the toughest works of art to discern. While the real statue showcases a neutral expression, the fake appears happy.

• Scary Painting: The Scary Painting features a man scowling with downturned eyebrows. However, his eyebrows are turned upward in the fake.

• Scenic Painting: The Scenic Painting features two hunters with a group of dogs approaching a snowy town. However, one hunter is missing in the fake. 

• Serene Painting: The Serene Painting depicts a woman holding a mink. In the real painting, the animal is white. In the fake, it’s dark grey. 

• Sinking Painting: The Sinking Painting aptly showcases a woman floating on her back in a river. Fortunately, this painting is always real.

• Solemn Painting: The Solemn Painting depicts a group of well-dressed women and children posing for a portrait. In the back of the real painting, a man stands with his hand against the door’s frame. In the fake, his hand is raised. 

• Tremendous Statue: The Tremendous Statue is essentially a large, empty basin. However, the fake statue has a lid. 

• Twinkling Painting: The Twinkling Painting famously mirrors Van Gogh’s Starry Night. It’s always real, so feel free to purchase. 

• Valiant Statue: Tougher to distinguish, the Valiant Statue portrays a winged, headless woman. In the real version, her right leg is stepping forward, while her left comes forward in the fake. Keep in mind that this is the opposite of your own orientation, meaning the statue’s right is your left and vice versa. 

• Warm Painting: Featuring a woman laying comfortably on pillows, the Warm Painting is always real. 

• Warrior Statue: The Warrior Statue portrays a man posing with his hands folded in front of him. In the fake, however, he is holding a shovel. 

• Wild Painting (Left Half): The left half of the Wild Painting features a white demon. In the fake version, however, the demon is green. 

• Wild Painting (Right Half): The right half of the Wild Painting features a green demon. In the fake, the demon is instead colored white.  

• Wistful Painting: The Wistful Painting showcases a woman wearing a pearl earring. However, there are two fakes; while one features the woman wearing a star-shaped earring, the other shows the woman with her eyes closed. 

• Worthy Painting: Featuring a woman wielding a flag among fallen soldiers, the Worthy Painting is, in fact, worth your Bells. This painting is always real, so don’t worry about forgery. 

With a long list of paintings and statues to analyze, it’s exceedingly difficult to keep track of these key differences between real and fake pieces in New Horizons. Feel free to reference this guide before making your next purchase from Redd’s trawler. To learn more about artwork and other in-game features, check out our collection of Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides.

Featured image by GameSkinny